The Secret Society of Aiden Moriarti
by Sam E.C
Summary: A story Im working on somewhat X-men related, its set in the current day and follows the life of several young people all on their own journeys to forming a group to help protect the world from its evils.
1. Chapter 1

The Secret Society of Aiden Moriarti

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT A SOMEWHAT LENGTHY READ, THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS:

When Lexi got to school on October 6th her friend Suzy was waiting for her. Suzy had a black eye, Lexi was guessing it was a fight with her mom again. They had always been getting into fights about different things since her mom had the two little ones. Suzy had been fed up for awhile about everything that was going on under her mothers roof and began getting things ready in case she decided she was moving out. She had several places that she hid money from her mom. Working on commission was something Suzy liked because she had a knack for selling things. If she ever did meet an Eskimo, she probably could sell ice to him. "Hey Lexi, how's it going?" Suzy asked as Lexi walked into the school. Lexi smiled and walked over to her as she stood by a wall near the school entrance. "Not bad, trying to figure out what I am going to write about for English. Sanders is busting down hard on us. She wants a 50 page minimum story done by the end of the semester as our culminating activity." Lexi responded being quick on her toes. Suzy sighed "I am so glad I took that class with Hearting instead of Sanders. Hearting doesn't make us write that much, he just tells us to do what we can and he marks it from there." Lexi laughed and then she noticed Fritz walk into the school. "Hey Fritzgerald, how was the bus ride this morning?" Lexi asked knowing he never had a nice bus ride due to all the hills on his road.

"Lovely as always Nel, except for the unbearable urge to vomit all over Tristan the car mechanic." Fritz said with great quickness and a sly speech pattern. They all broke down laughing about the kid named Tristan who actually believed you needed to put headlight fluid into the car in order to get the headlights to work, and that you needed to change the summer air to winter air in your car tires. After they stopped laughing, Ted walked into the school. Ted was a big guy, almost like a teddy bear. Which is where Lexi got her nickname for him. "Hey Pooh Bear, how's Piglet doing?" she said with a quick remark. "Well," he responded "He got that swine flu thing the world has been buzzing about. Mom is keeping him home for the next few days and I am staying at my grandma's. Doesn't bother me though, the more of grandma's pizza the better." Within the time it took to just chill out and talk for a few minutes the bell rang. Lexi sighed and looked at the clock. "Well, guess it's time for English. I'll see you guys on lunch. See you on third period Suzy." Lexi said before heading for class.

Lexi walked into class and no sooner had she sat down the bell went off. Lexi was so close to being late, but again she was saved by the bell. Mrs. Sanders took attendance and then got the class to take out their novel study books. It was about a haunting in some part of New York. As Lexi read the book she began to wonder why the teacher would want the class reading something so horrifying. Lexi liked the book though, so she did not make a peep about it. Since grade 5 she had been interested in books that involved horror, suspense, thrillers, and stuff oriented on the supernatural. As far as Lexi was concerned the book "The Amityville Horror" was terrific. She did not know if any of it really was true because of the fact that some of the stuff that happened in the book was not something that would seem even remotely possible. Blood oozing from the walls and stairs, a secret room in the basement being some sort of portal to hell, all the blood that was under the stairs when the man fell through them, and the pig demon that was apparently the little girls imaginary friend Jodie.

Lexi had finished reading the book by the time class was over and she looked around to see almost everyone was white with fear. She looked down at her hands and arms and was perfectly fine. Lexi shrugged and picked up her backpack. She held the book to her side and left the room and made her way to second period class. Sanders was also the teacher for drama, and man that class was accurately named. Jennifer Stone and her sisters were the main attractions of the drama class at the school. Lexi would put them under the classification of being bitches, but that would be insulting to her dog so she just referred to them as the Jay's. Each of them were just as mean as the next and all of them had names that started with J. Lexi always had problems with that Jennifer and her sisters. Secretly, Lexi thought Jennifer was still mad about the birthday incident.

They used to be friends, until her eleventh birthday when she found all of her dolls with their hair cut off completely. Since it was only Lexi, Jennifer, and the other Jay's there Jennifer assumed it was Lexi. Lexi never did touch those stupid dolls of hers but it was that day their relationship went from friends to enemies. "Ms. Brine, I've been meaning to speak with you about something." Mrs. Sanders said as she passed by Lexis' desk and motioned for her to follow. Lexi was slightly confused, wondering why she would want to speak with her of all people. Nonetheless, she followed her, seeing as she did not have very many other options. She had Lexi follow her out into the hallway and closed the classroom door. Saunders sighed and soon her arms were crossed and she was looking at Lexi with her head tilted. She shook her head in almost disbelief then finally broke the silence. "Lexi, I've been hearing some things around the school. I'm concerned about you. You seem to have no interest at all in extracurricular activities, your always reading dark books and your always in long sleeves. I've been talking with the counsellors and we've come to an agreement that you need some sort of therapy. You'll be leaving this class to do the therapy sessions until the problem is sorted out. You know where the guidance office is, drop the attendance off at the main office on your way please." Mrs. Sanders said and then handed Lexi the attendance.

She was quick to return to the classroom and Lexi was left standing in the hallway completely dumbfounded. Her mouth was slightly dropped and she felt as if something had just slapped her across the face. She could feel herself going red and then just made her way to the office. Lexi felt so stupid for not confronting Sanders in the hallway, she wasn't suicidal and as far as her preference for books went Stephen King was by far her favourite author. Not because she hated other kinds of books, but simply that he used his imagination to think up things so dark not many people would ever dream about even writing them. It was taboo in this little town for someone to like an author like King, which was why Sanders did what she did. Lexi could feel the teachers eyes on her as well as the other faculty as she entered the office with the attendance. Lexi had never been one for liking attention so that moment was literally hell for her. It was a quick pace she was going at. She wanted to get out of the office as quickly as she could even though she knew she'd need to go to guidance anyway. Lexi tried her best to calm down, the only way she knew how to do that was by doing what she usually did. She hummed some familiar songs, ones that I have had stuck in her head for years.

This time it was that old song from the Bare Naked Ladies that hit number one in '98. Lexi always thought a few people got mad about her humming though, because they started to hum along and suddenly let out a swear. She kind of chuckled, thinking about how long they went trying to get the song out of their heads. After about ten minutes of waiting in the guidance room she finally said screw it, she wasn't waiting for anyone to tell her that she was a basket case or some sort of a risk for the school. The risk had been removed last year. Poor guy had a list of people he was planning on shooting, and he actually decided to go through with it. Lexi had been nicked by a bullet on the edge of her ear. Thank god she faked her way to lay still and seemingly dead on the ground or she'd have been done for. Lexi did always say though that the poor guy had a lot of problems. He was in the closet for a while, and the whole reason he made that list was because Jerry, his old boyfriend, had threatened to tell the school. He had reasons for each person on that list though. Lexi was on the list because she had introduced him to Braden, the boy he ended up falling for and had his heart crushed by.


	2. Chapter 2

Braden wasn't gay, but he had several habits that would make you swear he was. An oddball of a guy, very sweet though and he always listened to anyone when they needed to talk. Last Lexi could remember about the guy who shot her was his name and the day of his funeral. Jason surprised the entire school that day, when he started aiming at people. It was at a talent show the school was holding to raise money for the family of one of the students who was going through chemotherapy. Everyone all thought it was an amazing act, that was until a few of us got shot. Braden was the first, then Ted, then it was Lexi. As her ear was bleeding and she played dead Lexi listened to every word Jason said. He confessed to being a closet case, and he even proclaimed his love for Braden right there on the stage. Braden did not hear a thing though, Jason had shot him clean through the head. It took a lot out of Jason to do that, and it wasn't until it was too late that he realised what he just did. He ended up turning the gun on himself and that was the end of the school day.

After Lexi had left the guidance room she went back to drama and picked up her backpack. Sanders had the rest of the class in the auditorium so the classroom was empty, leaving her to just grab her stuff and leave. Lexi got to her desk in time for the Jay's to enter and start whispering to each other. She just rolled her eyes and left, after all Lexi would be dealing with them on third anyway so why stick around for more punishment. Lexi had about a half an hour to kill so she found Ted in the cafeteria. Lexi told him about what had happened with Sanders and he just started laughing. Lexi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him. "Now Ted, I aint telling you nothing. Good to see you are concerned about this." She hissed at him. Ted simply shrugged and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Lexi, IF I were worried about you being suicidal I wouldn't be laughing right now would I? In fact, if Sanders brain was as big as she is she'd be able to tell your not suicidal." he cooed as he placed his hand on Lexis shoulder.

She simply smiled at him and sighed. "I suppose you are right. You know I have never been able to remain friends with ex boyfriends besides you. Never understood why that is." Lexi said as she looked back at him. He smiled and responded with a bit of a sly look "That's because we have been friends forever, why let a foul relationship spoil that?" The bell suddenly went and Lexi sighed again. "Now to face those Jay's." she proclaimed as she stood up. Ted raised his bottle of pop and with a smile spoke confidently "All the power to you. Give them a lesson on manners today if you get the chance." Lexi smiled and just made her way from the table on to the gym. It was true, for almost two years Lexi and Ted were a couple. It was great for the first little while, but then things started to get complicated. Their parents started to hate each other, his mom and dad totally hated Lexi, and only referred to her as "hey girl". Any time Lexi would go over his dad would always say "Hey girl, grab me a beer." Lexi just got the beer and as her back was turned to him she'd roll her eyes. Ted's dad was a Neanderthal if there were ever any left on the earth. Sexist pig, downright abusive to Ted's mom, and abusive to Ted as well.

Ted was an unwanted child, only his mother wanted a kid. His dad basically said that she would be the one raising him, and that he wanted nothing to do with the kid. Lexi always felt sorry for Ted that way, but recently his dad was getting to like being a dad and actually did stuff with Ted now. Lexi still had feelings for Ted for almost three years after they broke up but they were friends and she knew that was all they would ever be. Before Lexi knew it she had walked straight into the door of the gym. She snapped into reality and noticed everyone was already inside getting changed. Suzy was there and was already doing her laps. Coach Connors always had the class start off with 4 laps around the gym as a warm up. Lexi went into the change room where Jennifer and her gang of sluts were cavorting with her. "Look who showed up sisters, I guess she doesn't care if people know she's a dyke." she said hurtfully as Lexi walked by. The way she said it Lexi could have sworn she felt Jennifers' tongue actually slash at her chest. Lexi went into the bathroom stall and got dressed. As she was getting dressed she noticed a large cut on her chest.

Lexi wasn't sure where it had come from but she knew it wasn't there that morning. Lexi looked at it a moment then just shrugged it off her mind. Lexi headed out into the gym and started my laps. Suzy continued on with me for the sake of it. Lexi had told her what Jennifer had said and she continued running. As always Suzy told her to just ignore it. Lexi did for a little while, that is until Mr. Regent came to the class to teach a Judo session. Lexi had been in Judo for several years and so had Jennifer. So sure enough Mr. Regent had us up first for tag teams. Suzy and Lexi were partnered up. Jennifer on the other hand called up Jenna, one of her stronger lackey's. Lexi stood up and decided she was going to go first. Jennifer grinned and also stood up. Lexi could tell in her eyes she wasn't going to let anyone else get the chance to beat the living daylights out of her other than herself. Lexi and Jennifer were both black belts at this point in time so either of the girls fighting any of the other students excluding Suzy would be an unfair fight.

When the fight started Lexi circled around the barrier. Jennifer did the same for a moment. Then an unexpected sneak attack came that put Lexi down on the ground. Jenna had stuck her foot into the ring and tripped Lexi as she was circling. Jennifer did not waist any time and pinned her down. As Lexi struggled to get off the floor and out of her grip she leaned her head close to Lexi's ear, and spoke softly at a whisper, that only me and her could hear as everyone seemed to cheer for Jennifer "Bet you're liking this huh Lexi? The feel of a strong girl on you, must be intense huh?" As soon as that last word came out of her mouth Lexi was given enough of a rage to get her off. Lexi slammed the back of her head into the front of Jennifers' and she staggered backward off of Lexi. Jennifer gripped her head briefly until Lexi laid a punch onto her jaw. Jennifer fell back onto the floor and that's when Lexi took her chance to pin her down and finish this fight right there and then.

Jennifer looked to her left and coughed up a bit of blood and then said again in a whisper "Dyke…" What happened next Lexi had no control over. She kept laying the punches on her even when her head slammed down onto the floor and she did not move. Suzy had to pull Lexi off of Jennifer and had to restrain Lexi. Mr. Regent had called the ambulance as the gym teacher Ms. Connors checked out Jennifer's vital signs. She was still alive, but she wasn't at the stage to say only a day in the hospital and she would be out. I watched as she was carried out of the gym on a stretcher. Almost as soon as she was taken from the gym two police officers came into the gym, walked up to me, grabbed my arms, and cuffed me. They told me my rights and put me in their police cruiser just outside the gym exit. I was taken to the police station and put into one of the cells. It was cold in the room, almost freezing. I kept my coat on and waited for my phone call. I made the call to my mother and to my amazement she paid my bail.


	3. Chapter 3

Lexi didn't live at home any more because of some issues she had with her parents. After she talked to her mom for a few minutes she left the jail and was on her way home. She knew for a fact that she was suspended from school for the next week. They couldn't expel her because it was something mandatory for the course, but they would however show some disciplinary action because of Jennifer's condition. Lexi got up into her studio apartment and sighed. This would be just perfect on her record. As Lexi sat down at her computer desk she began thinking about what she was going to write for English. She eventually thought about a short story about a girl with emotional problems. It was reflecting on what she had been through the previous year. She did not like how her life was at that time. She had been living with my abusive father and his new wife. She was always on Lexi for something and it wasn't very often that they would compliment anything about what Lexi could do or her marks in school. Lexi was talking a victory lap of high school and was taking a few art courses at the community college uptown at night.

Lexi had overheard her father on the phone one night while he was drunk out of his tree talking to one of his friends about her. "The damn kid doesn't do a thing around here, her grades are crap, she dresses like a little slut, and she is always getting into my good stuff." she heard him say clearly. Lexis' heart dropped when she heard him say that and a tear rolled down her cheek. Is that what you really think of me dad? Is that what you really think of me? Lexi thought as she walked out of the door frame and down into my basement room. She had never gotten into any drugs or alcohol before and her father actually said that. As Lexi sat on her bed thinking about what he said, she noticed her old pocket knife on her nightstand. Lexi got up and locked my bedroom door then sat down again. She had never used the pocket knife for anything but opening up letters she received from her pen pal from Ireland. He always sent an old style letter with the whole authentic look to it. At that point in time his letters were the only thing Lexi had ever looked forward to.

As she looked at the pocket knife her mind began wondering. That was when Lexi started getting into drugs and alcohol. It was a dangerous lifestyle that only lasted the summer. When Lexi got back to her mothers she got back into her old lifestyle before she started on drugs. It was difficult for her to get through the withdrawals without her mother figuring out what had gone on with Lexi over the summer. She had been wearing a lot of long sleeve shirts while her arms healed up. They were barely visible anymore and that Lexi was grateful for. It was after that summer Lexi decided she was leaving. She took some money she had saved up and left home on a bus not sure where she would find herself. In the end, she wound up in New Jersey. She got a job at a little restaurant not far from the apartment she found that was cheap. For Lexi, everything in life had finally gone right once she left home. She started writing away about the experience that she went through not two months before.

It was a warm summer day when Lexi and her friend Tammy went to the beach. Lexi was swimming in the Mattawa River while her friend Tammy was diving from the dock. Lexi looked toward the beach and noticed several teenage guys playing volleyball. One of the boys caught her eye, he was a native boy with shoulder length black hair. Tammy swam over to Lexi and nudged her arm "Wow, those guys are pretty good. I wonder if any of them are single." Tammy said as she watched them play. Lexi looked back at Tammy and shook her head "Is that all you think about? I mean come on we're still young yet. No sense in getting into something we can't deal with." Tammy rolled her eyes "You are so old fashioned." Lexi looked back at the native boy, then turned around and dunked Tammy under the water. She began swimming quickly back to shore, then ran to her bike with her towel. She waited for 2 minutes and Tammy was out of the water and was at her own bike beside Lexi. "Thanks for waiting Lexi." Tammy said as she got onto her bike. "Ready to head for home?" Lexi said as she began biking. As the two girls drove their bikes home they talked about Tammy's birthday party the next day.

"Your bringing me to Ottawa! Tammy's birthday party is tomorrow I have to be there I'm her best friend!" Lexi exclaimed to her mother upon hearing the news at the dinner table. "Why would you tell Aunt Debra and Uncle Tom I'd go stay with them for the summer? You know I can't stand it there. Laura hates me and she always has her friends over and they always poke fun at me for being a small town girl." Lexi turned around pouting. Her mother rolled her eyes and served dinner "Lexi you're going, and that's that." Lexi growled under her breath and began eating her dinner. When she finished she went to her room and called Tammy "I'm sorry I can't go, mom is sending me to my aunts." Tammy understood and the two girls talked on the phone for almost a half an hour as Lexi packed her things. Near the end of the phone call, Lexi heard a loud crashing noise on Tammy's end. "I have to go Lexi, have fun in Ottawa." she said before hanging up to phone. Lexi looked at the phone for a moment then hung up against her better judgment. She called her other friend Tiffany and told her that she would be going to Ottawa. Tiffany agreed that she would stop by in the morning to pick up Tammy's gift and take it to the party for Lexi. That night, Lexi tosses restlessly in her bed as she couldn't bear leaving the next morning.

It was early in the morning when Lexi left for Ottawa. It took almost 2 hours and the ride there wasn't very scenic. When the pulled up the long cement driveway Lexi looked at the house. It was beautiful brick layered home with a wrap around porch. It wasn't the house she didn't like being in though, it was being with her cousin Laura and her family. When the car stopped Lexi's father Theodore removed her bag from the trunk, then forcefully removed Lexi from the car. "Dad I don't want to stay here! Why are you doing this to me?" Lexi cried out. Theodore stopped a moment then when Lexi gave up fighting he dragged her from the car. "It's not my choice it's your mother's." He rang the doorbell and waited. A Latino women came to the door inviting them in and took the suitcase. Lexi looked around the foyer and swallowed a large lump in her throat. There is no way I can stay here, it's just so fancy… she thought as she saw the figurines and decorative crystal china placed prominently in the china cabinet. Laura came from around the corner and look over Lexi "Tom and Debra aren't here right now. They'll be back in about an hour ." Laura turned and walked away. Lexi looked at her father "Please don't make me stay here with her." Theodore looked at Lexi, gave her a hug and left. Lexi stood there speechless and almost on the brink of tears. How can he do this to me? she thought as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

After an hour had passed Lexi's things were in what she remembered to be Laura's old bedroom. It was really small, almost cramped. She lied down on the bed and turned on the news. It was odd how here timing was so perfect. The news report was walking down an all to familiar street to Lexi. "Last night in our little town a tragedy occurred. 16 year old Tammy Garner was found dead in her bedroom. The service will be held on Thursday 14th, and Lillian Garner is accepting donations for the wake. This is Drew Garner, Tammy's father and local news man, reporting from Mattawa." Lexi's jaw dropped as she heard those words and her eyes began welling up with tears. She called her mother and was told yet again, "You're not coming back here just to go to a wake and a funeral." Lexi hung up on her mother and sat on the bed crying. Laura walked in and saw her sitting there on the bed and rolled her eyes "Debra told me to come tell you supper is ready." Laura turned around and headed back downstairs and sat at the dinning room table.


	4. Chapter 4

  
>Lexi pulled herself together and went downstairs and sat at the dinning table across from Laura. As she walked into the room, Debra, Thomas, and Laura all stared at her until she sat down. Lexi waved a little and looked down at her plate. It appeared to be Chinese take out. There were egg rolls, chicken balls, chicken fried rice, a small bowl of wonton soup, and a pepper steak stir fry. It looked very odd to say the least but Lexi would eat it out of respect. She reached for a fork but was puzzled when she picked up two chop sticks. She looked at them questioningly. She had never eaten with chopsticks before, so this was going to be really awkward. She held them oddly in her hand then looked up to see them all looking at her oddly again. Lexi smiled slightly and tried holding them the way Laura did "I've never eaten with chopsticks before." She was frowning again as she ate, trying to think of how she would get to Tammy's funeral but she couldn't think of a thing. Lexi looked up and saw Laura grinning "So, cousin, I here your best friend just died." Lexi dropped the chopsticks, rather shocked that Laura actually said that. Laura was smiling as she ate and waited for Lexi to answer.<p>Lexi clenched her hand and looked back up at Laura. "Yes dear, tell us about that." Debra said as she folded her hands ready to listen so she could spread the juicy gossip. Lexi looked questioningly at her Aunt Debra and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'd rather not talk about this, I just want to go home." Lexi said then continued eating. She was quiet all through dinner as Laura spoke of what had happened to Tammy. Lexi felt anger welling up inside her as she tried blocking out the chatter at the table. When she had enough she slammed her hand down on the table "I've had with you all!" Lexi got up and ran crying from the table. She reached the room and shut the door behind her as she cried on the pillow. Debra and Thomas looked at each other, then at Laura "Take her out with you tonight. I don't feel like dealing with her waterworks right now. Laura rolled her eye's "Fine." She said then went up to her room to get changed for going out. After about two hours Lexi heard a knock on the door. "Hey cousin let's go, we're going out." Laura came into the room and started trifling through Lexi's stuff. "Hey, what are you doing?" Lexi asked angrily. Laura grabbed her arm and dragged Lexi to her room. "You're coming out with me and some of my friends, and judging by the clothes you brought you have no style. Thankfully you're the same size as me." Laura picked out a black sweater and a pair of skinny jeans. "Put these on, there's a bathroom across the hall." Laura said as she began taking out jewelry and making matches.<p>

Lexi put on the outfit and walked back into Laura's room "You actually wear this? It's so uncomfortable." Laura looked at Lexi "Uncomfortable yes, but it highly accents your shape." Laura sped over to Lexi and removed her hair from the plain ponytail and took her crimper to Lexi's hair. When Laura finished her hair she took out her makeup kit and accented Lexi's green eyes with dark mascara and accented her lips with a burgundy coloured lipstick. "You don't look half bad when you clean up." Laura said as Lexi got up and turned to look in the mirror. Her jaw dropped as she looked at herself, then she turned to Laura "I look like a $10 hooker!" Laura smirked "I was going for $50, but 10 is good enough. Let's go, James is waiting in the driveway." From outside the sound of a car horn sounded. Laura grabbed Lexi's hand and the two went racing down the stairs. "See you later Debra." Laura said as she darted out the door with Lexi behind her.

James was waiting in his car "What took you so long," he asked as he opened the passenger door "and who's the red head?" Lexi got into the back seat and Laura sat in the front. She kissed James then he started down the driveway "She's my cousin, Lexi." He looked in the rear-view mirror at Lexi "She's hot, guess all the women in your family are bombshells." Laura rolled her eyes "Yea, guess so. Where are we going anyways?" James looked at her. "Well, we have to pick up Timmy, Kelly, and Michael. Then we're off to the movie theatre." After about 15 minutes all of Laura's friends were in the car was full. Two of the boys they picked up were eyeing on Lexi as if they were wolves and she was a piece of meat. It felt rather awkward but Lexi kind of liked the attention. Kelly on the other hand wasn't as thrilled, because last time Lexi was there she looked like a hillbilly and now she looked even better then Kelly and Laura. Michael and Timmy both fought over who would sit beside her. In the end, both ended up beside her but on opposite sides. After they watched the movie only Timmy and Michael continued with Laura, James, and Lexi. Kelly left halfway through the movie after she noticed Timmy flirting with Lexi.

On the way back they stopped by James house for a drink. Laura and the others got out as Lexi just looked at the house. Laura pulled Lexi's arm "Come on, you're not going to make me look stupid again." James's house was really big and very clean a lot like Laura's. They went down into the basement and an older guy who seemed about twenty was sitting on the floor with a bag of weed. Lexi saw it thinking it was just some herbs and sat down beside him. James took down a bong from the closet in his bedroom downstairs and brought it into the room. "Who's up for round three?" Laura laughed and raised her hand. Lexi sat there as everyone passed the bong around smoking up. Then it came around to her "Come on cousin, it's fun. You'll never feel better." Michael said. Lexi took it and with her better judgment tried passing it on to Laura. "No way cousin, not till you do it." Laura said then chimed in again "It'll help you forget Tammy." Lexi frowned and thought of her dead friend. Then she took a huge toke of the bong. It gave her a rush, and she took another toke then passed it on to Laura who took a toke and spoke happily "There we go cousin, now you're really acting like a Thornjin." The group passed the bong around several times till everyone was high out of their minds. Lexi took a pop from a case and chugged it then passed out.

The next morning Lexi woke up in the bed at Laura's house. She was so hungry and the light was hurting her head. She put on her sunglasses to avoid the light and made her way to the kitchen where she found Laura taking toaster strudels out of the toaster. "Morning cousin. How was your night?" she asked as she handed Lexi a plate with two toaster strudels on it. Lexi looked up and smiled "Last night, was so fun. Hey do you think we can go out again tonight?" she asked as she gobbled down the strudels. Laura nodded and laughed "You were so green last night, I had to get James to drive us home." Lexi laughed and turned on the kitchen television and again there was a report on Tammy, but this time it was her mother being interviewed. "Lillian, what happened yesterday to your daughter?" asked the reporter.

Tammy's mom was wiping tears from her eyes "Well William, I have always disapproved of my daughter hanging around with one of her friends, Lexi, and she disobeyed me. I couldn't handle it anymore, and when I went to walk upstairs something in my mind snapped when I heard her talking on the phone. I dropped a laundry basket as I heard her fall to the ground. When I got to her room I found her hanging from the ceiling. I tried to bring her back but it was to late." Lexi pressed the power button on the television "I can't stand that woman!" she screamed as she walked back upstairs and raided Laura's closet. She came down in a black mini skirt and a white halter top. Her hair was done up again and so was her makeup. She stood in the doorway and put on a pair of platforms "Let's go hang out with your friends, I can't stay here anymore I need to do something." Laura nodded and went upstairs. During the two hours it took Laura to get ready Lexi was on the computer. She received an instant message from an unknown user. "Hello." said the unknown user. Lexi looked at the message and responded "Hello, who is this?" The unknown messenger messaged back "I'm me, who are you?" Lexi looked oddly at the computer. She began typing again "You're the one who messaged me." The message popped up again "Ah very clever." Lexi looked questioningly at the computer "Who's me?"


	5. Chapter 5

  
>"I'm me and you are you." said the message again. Lexi tried looking for the email of the user, but it wasn't visible. "Fine. Then why are you messaging me?" she asked now getting pissed off. "I'm messaging you because I want to talk." said the message again. "Talk about what? Why do you want to talk me?" Lexi asked in confusion. "I want to talk to a human." the message sent again. Lexi looked around the room and shut the laptop. Lexi got a glass of orange juice from the fridge. She sat back at the laptop and opened it again "Done drinking?" the message asked. Lexi's eyes widened "How did you know what I was doing?" after a moment the messenger wrote back "I know all." Lexi thought a moment then typed back responding to a prior statement "Not particular about which human huh?" she asked in response to the previous message. "No, it's just a coincidence." the message said. "Fine then. What about life?" she asked. "Do you value yours?" it read. Lexi stopped for a moment and thought about it "Of course I do." the message reply was almost instant "Good that's all I ask." Lexi responded back to it in confusion "Why do you ask?" The message took a few minutes but finally responded "Because he is coming and I want to make sure you are ready." Again confused Lexi responded back "He is coming? Who's coming?" she asked. The message responded back "I don't know who he is. I'm just here to help." Lexi responded again "Will you help? Wait what am I ready for?"<p>"I'll help as long as I'm needed. I've got nothing better to do. You're ready to meet me." The messenger said. "WHO ARE YOU?" Lexi asked in anger this time. "Haven't we already been over this? I'm me." it spoke again. "FINE. What's your name?" Lexi asked. "You are quite clever. I am the Bringer. I'm the bringer of gifts." "Bringer?" Lexi asked as she heard Laura doing her hair from upstairs. "Yes though I prefer Adolwolfa." she spoke back."So what gifts?" Lexi asked, her interest had been picked. "If you want to find out you'll have to meet me." Lexi hurried to type back "Meet you where?" Adolwolfa responded back "The clock in the town centre." "My town centre?" Lexi asked. "Yep see you there." Adolwolfa typed in. "Wait. When shall I meet you?" Lexi asked hurriedly.<p>

"Oh whenever. I'll be there." Adolwolfa responded. "Whenever?" Lexi asked and as soon as she hit send, Adolwolfa was offline. Lexi hit her hand onto the table "Shit." she said and then heard Laura coming down the stairs. "Hey Laura, feel like going for a drive?" she asked as Laura called her boyfriend James. Within ten minutes James was at Laura's house and all three were in the car. "Hey cousin why do you want to go to Mattawa? Are you going to show us around and take us to the fireworks place?" Laura asked. Lexi smiled at Laura "Yea, they have a great selection. You will love it." Lexi was lying through her teeth, but Laura didn't't know that. After they reached Mattawa, Lexi showed Laura and James around town. Laura seemed to actually like it, which really surprised Lexi. Then they came around to the fireworks shop which was only a block away from the town clock. As they looked around Lexi noticed it was getting dark. "Hey Laura, I'm going to go down the street to the library. I have to return some books I took out the other day." Laura nodded and she kept going around the store looking at all the cool fireworks.

Lexi made her way to the library across from the clock tower and dropped off her books. When she turned around she saw a tall women in a black cloak leaning against a tree. She walked over to the women and spoke quietly "Are you Adolwolfa?" The women turned toward Lexi who was surprised by her appearance. The woman had two different coloured eyes and she looked like death. Her hands were boney and her face looked sunken in "Yessss," she hissed in response " I am Adolwolfa. Are you the one known asss Lexi?" Lexi was scared of Adolwolfa's speech patterns. "Yes, my name is Lexi. Why did you ask for me?" Adolwolfa grinned "Assss I ssssaid, I am the bringer of giftssss. I have come to grant you a gift that no otherssss on the planet have." Lexi thought for a moment and asked inquisitively "Is it a gift of my choice?" Adolwolfa nodded in response. Lexi though for a moment "I want to be able to see, hear, and talk to ghosts." Adolwolfa extended her bony hand "We have a deal then, do you accept this gift?" Lexi nodded yes and went to shake Adolwolfa's hand.

As Lexi's hand touched Adolwolfa's, Adolwolfa opened her mouth and a large fog flowed from her mouth and surrounded Lexi. Lexi tried releasing her hand from Adolwolfa's but was unsuccessful. When the fog disappeared so did Adolwolfa. Lexi watched as the fog dispersed and as she opened her mouth it swarmed straight in. She gasped as she lost breath for a moment but then she got her breath back. She hurried back to the shop and as she got there Laura and James were just exiting the store with several bags of fireworks. "The library was still open?" Laura asked. Lexi looked back at her and nodded "Yea, it was open. I returned the books." With that they entered the car and headed back to Ottawa. It felt like a long ride to Lexi, and she fell asleep after a few minutes in the back.

When the Lexi and the others got back to Ottawa, Lexi asked to be dropped off at the Thornjin home so she could sleep. Laura and James dropped her off but before leaving her Laura asked if she was alright. "Yea, I'll be fine." Lexi said as she watched the two drive off again. She walked up the driveway and held her head. For some odd reason she heard a low humming noise, almost like a humming bird. Lexi entered the house and announced her arrival. Her Aunt Debra walked down the stair case and greeted her. "Hello Lexi, welcome back. How was your day today?" she asked as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. Lexi felt a chill up her spine as if a cold draft had entered the room. "It was fun, just got a little cold is all." Lexi said as she went to walk toward the stairs. When she was but 3 feet away from Debra she tripped and fell forward flying up toward her Aunt who yelled and attempted to catch Lexi.

Lexi , however, did not land safely in her aunts arms but continued falling to the floor. When she landed on the stairs she felt a tickling sensation in her back. She looked back and saw her aunts legs seemingly phased through her back. Her mouth was open and her face frozen in terror. Debra looked down and screamed "You're a ghost!" Lexi got up and shook her head and touched the wall. Debra did the same, but her hand phased through. Her eyes widened and she looked at her hands "I…I'm dead?" She was stunned. Obviously her aunt had not known she had died. Lexi looked around "Aunt Debra where were you before you came down here?" Her aunt thought a moment "The bedroom, I was in the bedroom changing the sheet's."


	6. Chapter 6

Lexi ran up the stairs and at the foot of the bed was her aunt Debra's lifeless body. Lexi grabbed the phone and called an ambulance. After that call, she reached Laura's cell phone's answering machine and left a message that she needed to get home now. As Lexi waited for her uncle and cousin to get home she sat in the living room watching television with Debra's ghost. "So, aunt Deb, any idea how you died up there?" she asked as a commercial came on. Debra nodded "I had brain cancer. I never told anyone in the family, not even your uncle." Lexi nodded. "It's funny isn't it, how a gift like your's can actually help you know someone better." Debra said as she went to hug Lexi, but realized she couldn't. Lexi smiled "Yea, it's pretty cool." It was a week after Debra's funeral and she was still floating around the home. She told Lexi that she had no intentions of going on and that she had best give up trying to make here.

Lexi had been hanging out with Laura, but she decided not to do the drugs. She was afraid if she did she could possibly loose her new gift. Lexi hadn't told Laura about her gift, but somehow she knew. Lexi talked with Laura for hours the first two days of that week about her mother, while Debra stood there and told Lexi what to tell Laura. Lexi didn't mind it though because it gave her practice at this type of thing. It wasn't until the 12th that Lexi dreamt of Tammy, and the dream made her awaken in a cold sweat. Tammy had come to Lexi and asked for her help, she said she needed Lexi to go back home as soon as possible. Near the end of the dream, it almost seamed as if Tammy was screaming at Lexi and her face twisted into this evil looking creature. "Thank god it's the 13th, time to go home." Lexi said as she began packing her bags. Almost instantaneously Debra and Laura came in to talk with Lexi before she left. "You sure you don't want me to go with you Lexi?" Laura asked. Lexi turned to her "You called me Lexi, you've never done that before." Laura smiled "You've grown on me, you're a friend now, not only a cousin." Lexi smiled and heard the knock on the door downstairs. "Well, I'll be back in a few weeks for a visit, see you then." Lexi said hugging Laura. When the two released from the hug, Laura looked around the room and saw her mom. "Thanks Lexi, you've helped out a lot." Lexi smiled and grabbed her bag and brought it out to the car.

Lexi left and arrived home on a somewhat happy tone. When she got home her mother was crying at the kitchen table "Lexi honey, are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't bring you home" Lexi walked over to her mom and hugged her "Mom I'm fine, but I think you should head to Ottawa. Uncle Tommy needs some company." Lexi's mom nodded and packed her bags. It took an hour and then her parents were gone to Ottawa. Lexi unpacked her bags and made her way downstairs to make dinner for herself. As she prepared a salad she heard a sound from the living room. It sounded like static. Lexi walked cautiously into the living room as she held the butcher knife she was using to cut lettuce. She looked in the direction of the static sound and it turned out to be nothing more than the television. Lexi walked over to the television and turned it off.

As Lexi went to exit the kitchen the television turned on again and this time there was no sound. The screen was black and a white shadow appeared and called for Lexi. Lexi turned around and listened as her mouth was open. "Lexi, close your mouth you'll catch a fly." the shadow spoke. The sarcasm in the voice was all to familiar, and Lexi recognized it immediately. "T…Tammy?" Lexi said as she watched the television. The television set exploded in front of her and as soon as the smoke cleared, Tammy was standing in front of Lexi. Lexi began crying as she saw her dead friend before her eyes. "Lexi, snap out of it. I need you to help me." Tammy said coldly. "Why Tammy, why did you do that to yourself?" Lexi asked as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Tammy's face twisted in anger "Lies!" she screamed and all the light bulbs in the room exploded "I didn't commit suicide! My mother killed me!" Lexi looked at Tammy "How can I help? I can't do anything to help you."

"Go to my house, I'll show you what happened there." Tammy said before disappearing. Lexi looked around and decided on eating first then going to Tammy's. Lexi ate her dinner and grabbed her backpack heading over to Tammy's home. Lillian wasn't home, but Tammy's window was left open. She looked up and saw Tammy's spirit in the window motioning for her to come up. Lexi went around to the lattice on the side of the house and climbed up to Tammy's window. She went through the window and into Tammy's room. Tammy stood beside her bed and spoke to Lexi "Mom choked me with that rope, I didn't hang myself." Lexi looked in shock at her friends neck. Even though she was a spirit, Lexi still saw the marks from the rope around her neck. "Tammy, you said you can show me how it happened. How can you show me?" Lexi asked as she looked out the window keeping an eye out for Lillian's car. Tammy pointed to the video camera "I put it on when I heard mom coming up. She hit me last week but I had no evidence so I decided to set up my camera next time I heard her coming up,"

Lexi picked up the video camera and turned it on again. She watched the camera and heard the conversation her and Tammy were having that night. Then the loud bang again and she saw Tammy hang up the phone. It seemed like the moment lasted forever when Tammy's mom walked up the stairs. Lillian made her way to Tammy's door and she stood there for a few minutes just holding onto the rope, tightening her grasp around it. "Mom, are you alright?" Tammy asked as Lillian walked closer and closer. When she was only about two feet away she lunged at Tammy and trapped her neck in the noose she made on the end of the rope. Lillian held it tight as Tammy tried prying the rope from her neck with her hands. Lexi watched in terror as her best friend was being strangled. "You had to come here and meddle didn't you…" said a voice from the doorway. Lexi turned to see Lillian.

Lexi held the camera in her hands as she looked at Lillian "You killed her, you killed her because of me." Lillian grinned and replied "Yes…I did…and now it's your turn…" Lillian moved her hand from behind her back revealing a large butcher knife. Lillian went to take a swipe at Lexi, but as the knife drew closer, Lexi high kicked Lillian onto Tammy's bed. "Run Lexi!" Tammy screamed. Lexi darted down the stair's as Lillian continued after her in high pursuit. She ran from the house and kept going down the driveway. Lillian stopped at the door and ran into her home grabbing a suitcase of clothes and getting into her car.

As Lillian got to the end of the driveway there were 5 cop cruisers at the end of the driveway waiting, guns aimed. Lillian got up out of her car and spotted Lexi "I want that girl arrested for breaking and entering!" she yelled pointing at Lexi. Two police officers went around to Lillian and took her by the arms and handcuffing her. "Lillian Garner, you're under arrest for the murder of Tammy Garner and attempted murder of Lexi Thornjin." Lillian looked back at Lexi who was showing the video to the police officers. "When I get out, you're dead Lexi. Dead! They can't hold me forever!" She screamed as they forced her into the cruiser. Lexi watched as the cops drove away with Lillian then looked back up at Tammy's house. She smiled as she saw Tammy wave to her from her bedroom window.


	7. Chapter 7

Lexi walked back home and found Tammy there again. "Hey Lexi, thanks." she said. Lexi smiled and waved "It's nothing, I'm glad I could help you Tammy." Tammy nodded and looked to her right "I have to go now Lexi, I'll see you around though." she said before walking off and disappearing for a final time. Lexi relaxed and sat on her couch and began watching the television. She thought for a moment and heard a knock on the door. She got up and answered it surprised to see her parent's and Laura. Laura seemed a little sad, but on each side of her were two suitcases. It turned out while Laura had gone out with James, her dad fell from the roof while trying to clean the gutters. Laura was going to be staying with Lexi until college, for Lexi's parents were her legal guardians. Lexi helped Laura move her stuff into Lexi's room. As the two lay in their beds that night, Lexi looked over to Laura and asked her quietly "Did you get to see him a last time?" Laura nodded and replied "Yea, I did. Then him and mom left. There gone now." With that, Lexi and Laura drifted off into a deep sleep.

Lexi had been day-dreaming about one of the crucial times in her life. She had given her old friend Tammy a chance to rest. Tammy had been killed by her mother that day, and if it was not for Lexi she would have gotten away with it. She made a friend out of her cousin and realized that just because things are not perfect they don't have to ruin everything else. Lexi had made a decision that her art was more important to her now, and she was taking classes at the local community college in her spare time. The summer had been an amazing eye opener for her. Lexi had been given a gift unlike many others her age ever received. Lexi was given the ability to converse and see ghosts. It was something she did not mind so much though because without that gift she would have given up on finding out more on how Tammy had died. The gift had seemed to fade away though, it had been almost three months since she had last seen a specter. The whole thing in all had opened her mind a lot, and gave her a bunch of different ideas for projects. The teacher of the art class was alright, but a lot of the course was involving contemporary art. The kind of stuff that you would find in all the latest galleries. As much as some of them were nice, Lexi preferred the stuff from the past. Her critique and critical analysis of what was in the galleries was never what the teacher wanted. She had always stated Lexi's ideas on the art were not right.

It never bothered Lexi until the day came that they were discussing culture in class. Lexi sighed as she thought back on the events of the previous summer. She had pretty well gone completely down the tubes and landed in the hospital three times. The dripping of the water in the steaming bathroom of the apartment was rhythmic. Drip after drop it could be heard all through Lexi's silent residence. Her flying fox bat Twinkie was just beginning to awaken from the daylight hours. Lexi had a room in the apartment set up specifically for Twinkie. The little flying fox yawned as it began awakening from its slumber. A small tray of fruits and juice were set on a special feeding style trough for the creature. The room resembled a dark cave and had all the characteristics of a bat's paradise. The place was quite until the cd player she had installed into the bathroom began playing. It was a soft melodic tune that tended to ease her often skittish nature. Lexi entered into the steaming bathroom and tested the water with her hand, gliding over it softly. She removed her housecoat and got into the warm bubble bath.

The last two days had been hell, starting with the fight in gym class and then the incident with Vixie her Cocker Spaniel. While they were walking the day before she managed to get off her leash and darted into the street after a squirrel. The cabs in New Jersey were not known for their driving skills, and because of that and the bad luck that seemed to be following Lexi. That was the thing with Lexi's powers. There were so many restrictions and so many faults. She could speak, see, and hear the dead. She could summon them to her, she could sense them around even when they were ethereal. That day a few seemed to follow Lexi as she walked the streets of New York. That day was not a fun one and from then on Lexi hated her gift. As she lay in the tub thinking things over it took everything she had not to cry. It wasn't long before her cell began going off in her housecoat's pocket. Lexi dried her hands then picked it up. It was a message from someone who Lexi did not know. Lexi pressed the power button on the cd player. She received an instant message from an unknown user.

"Hello there." said the unknown user. Lexi looked at the message and responded "Hello, who is this?" Lexi had never received a message like this. The phone it was coming from was unmarked. The unknown messenger messaged back "I'm me, but the question here is who are you?" Lexi looked oddly at the cell phone with an odd look. She began texting again "You're the one who messaged me, remember? So you must know who I am." The message popped up again "Ah very clever." Lexi looked questioningly at the cell phone and thought for a moment. Maybe I should play along here… she though as she began texting back. "Who is me?" she asked and waited. "I'm me and you are you." said the message again. Lexi tried looking for the number of the user again, but it was still invisible. "Fine. Then why are you messaging me?" she asked now getting pissed off. "I'm messaging you because I want to talk with you since you are the only one who can listen." said the message again. "Talk about what? Why do you want to talk me?" Lexi asked in confusion. "I want to talk to a human, but like I said you are the only one who can see me in person." the message responded.

Lexi looked around the room and shut the cell phone down. She got a glass of orange juice from the fridge, and a bag of Oreo cookies from the cupboard. She turned on her television when she entered her living room but all that was on the screen was static. She sat down at her laptop and opened it. It had been in hibernation mode so everything simply resumed back where it was. "Done drinking yet?" the message asked. Lexi's eyes widened "How did you know what I was doing?" she typed into the message box. After a moment of silence and Lexi racking her brain trying to figure out what was going on, the messenger wrote back "I know all." Lexi thought a moment then typed back responding to a prior statement "Not particular about which human huh?" she questioned in response to the previous message. "No, it's just a coincidence. Of course I am particular. Do you mean to tell me you do not remember a conversation a year ago to this day that had gone along the same lines? But I do have a question I want you to answer." the message said. Lexi had no recollection of the conversation the user was referring to.

"Fine then. What is the question?" she asked. "Do you value your life?" it read. Lexi stopped for a moment and actually had to think about it "Of course I do." The message reply was almost instant "Good that's all I ask." Lexi responded back to it in confusion "Why do you ask?" The message took a few minutes but finally responded "I ask because he is coming and I want to make sure you are ready for what you are up against." Again confused Lexi responded back "He is coming? Who's coming?" she asked. The message responded back "I don't know who he is, nor do I now when he will be here for you. I'm just here to help now." Lexi responded again "Will you help? Wait what am I ready for?" "I'll help as long as I'm needed. I've got nothing better to do. After all, being dead has the effect of boredom on a lot of us. You're ready to meet me." The messenger said. "WHO ARE YOU?" Lexi asked in anger this time. "Haven't we already been over this? I'm me." it spoke again. "FINE. What's your name?" Lexi asked. "You know who I am, you just need to jog your memory." Suddenly a jolt from the computer went into Lexi's hand. She pulled her hand away quickly and then something in her mind clicked.

"Adolwolfa?" Lexi asked. "Yes though I prefer Adolf now. If you remember enough, you would remember I am a transmitter of gifts." he spoke back. "So what gifts have you brought this time? Something to make my life even more hectic than it already is?" Lexi asked, her interest had been picked. "If you w ant to find out you'll have to meet me." Lexi hurried to type back "Meet you where?" Adolf responded back "The clock in the town centre, where you met me last year." "My town centre?" Lexi asked. "Yep see you there." Adolf typed in. "I am on my way." Lexi chipped hurriedly. Lexi knew the ride would be a good two or three days away from her place so she stocked Twinkies food up and cleaned the apartment thoroughly. Lexi hopped on a bus with her four changes of clothes and headed for Mattawa. It took almost a day to get there after all the stops and transfers. As Lexi made her way to the library across from the clock tower she began thinking about Adolf. When she turned around she saw a tall man in a black cloak leaning against a tree. She walked over to the man and spoke quietly "Are you Adolf?" The man turned toward Lexi who was surprised by his appearance. He looked a lot different from the summer before. The man had two different coloured eyes and he looked like death.


	8. Chapter 8

  
>His hands were boney and his face looked sunken in, almost snake like. His nose non existent, all that was in the place where it should have been were two large slits. On his face was skull makeup that one would see a voodoo man from New Orleans wear. "Yessss," he hissed in response " I am Adolf. You have grown much in the passst year Lexi." Lexi was scared of Adolf's speech patterns. He was much tamer last summer, his voice had once been almost sweet but now it was raspy and harsh. He also seemed much different in the respect of gender. Now he was in a male form. "Yes, I guess I have. Why did you ask for me this time Adolf?" Lexi responded and simply crossed her arms as she looked up at him. Adolf grinned "Assss I ssssaid, I am the transmitter of giftssss. I have come to grant you a gift that no otherssss on the planet have." Lexi thought for a moment and asked inquisitively "Is it a gift of my choice this time?" Adolf nodded in response but stayed silent. Lexi thought it over for a moment "I want to be able to bring back the departed." Adolf extended his bony hand "We have a deal then, do you accept thissss gift?" Lexi nodded yes and went to shake Adolf's hand. Adolf gave a grave grin on his face "Be carefull what you wissssh for young Lexi. Sssssometimessss people are better off dead. Nature versssusss nurture and all." As Lexi's hand touched Adolf's, Adolf opened his mouth which stretched almost three feet tall and a large fog flowed from his mouth and surrounded Lexi. Lexi tried releasing her hand from Adolf's but was unsuccessful, his grip was stronger. His hands were larger now, his fingers seemed almost like a spiders legs.<p>The fog turned suddenly into water. As if teleported Lexi and Adolf were standing in a 5 foot by 5 foot room. The water was twirling in the air angrily it seemed, swirling and twirling around Lexi then suddenly landing on the floor beginning to fill the room. The water level had risen in only seconds up to Lexi's head. The water was bursting and became the circling fog again. The water level dropper as it went back into its fog form. Suddenly the fog began to disappear and as it did, so did Adolf. Lexi watched as the fog dispersed and as she opened her mouth it flew straight in. She gasped as she lost breath for a moment. Lexi rubbed her head with her right hand as she began to feel a headache. As her hand touched her forehead she pulled it away in a hurry as the pain began surging through the middle of her forehead. Lexi made her way back to the bus stop and waited out the rain until the next bus back to New Jersey. When she finally got back, she ran a good five blocks with her bag back to her building. Lexi ran as quickly as she could not stopping as she reached her apartment. The rain had been pouring down for the last two hours and Lexi was soaked. She ran up the stairs the entire way to the 23rd floor. As Lexi entered the dark room and shut the door behind her, the room lit up in a crack of lightning. Lexi stood with her back to the door breathing heavily.<p>

As the thunder began rolling through the granite coloured clouds Lexi looked up shivering. Her hair was drenched as was every other part of her. She slid out of the jacket and went into the bathroom. She remover her wet clothes and got into her housecoat and made her way to her bedroom down the hall. All was silent in the apartment, that was until a crack of thunder was accompanied by the sound of a large crash in the bedroom. A light was on and there were things smashed all down the hallway. Porcelain doll heads shattered, their bodies strewn around the hall. Lexi could hear the voice of two men talking to each other in the room. She backed down the hall and went into the kitchen. In the butcher block on the counter there were no knives, it seemed whoever was in her apartment thought ahead. Lexi looked around at her busted up apartment then realized something. Twinkie was left to fly wherever she wanted. Suddenly a large screeching sound went off from Lexi's room followed by two screams, and finally a loud thud. Lexi peeked her head around the corner and covered her mouth trying her hardest not to cry. Laying on the floor in the hallway was Twinkies lifeless little body. The two men however seemed to have heard her, and exited the bedroom spying her around the corner.

Lexi ran as quick as she could to the other end of her suit and went into the spare room. She locked the door and sat on the bed. As Lexi was on the bed she began screaming and yelling. It did not take long for the two men to break down the door. One was a large bald man and the other was a short white man. The tall man who's name was apparently Joey simply stood at the door grinning with a wide smile. Lexi backed off the bed and into the wall. The short man named Danny edged closer toward her, in his hands were two daggers. Lexi placed her hand behind her bag and removed her own traditional dagger from its sheath off the shelf of her own daggers. The handle was made of oak, crafted in a North American Native village hundreds of years before. It was wooden handled gagger, with ivory sharpened to fine blade. The handle was engraved with the head and body of a wolf. The dagger itself was engraved with a running wolf silhouette. As the fat man attempted to swing the blade at her Lexi ducked and twirled knocking him down by tripping him. Lexi kicked the dagger out of his hands and put her right foot on his chest. She flipped the dagger in her hand positioning it into a downward position and narrowed her eyes on him. "You messed with the wrong girl on the wrong day!" she yelled as she let out a cry and brought the dagger down as quickly as she could. As the dagger reached two centimetres away from the man another crack of lightning sounded. The room lit up and suddenly everything went dark and quiet again.

It took a moment for Lexi to realize she was no longer in her spare room. Lexi was standing in a field of oats. They were a beautiful golden colour, that reached far across the land up till the tree line which was almost two miles away from where Lexi stood. Not too far from where she stood Lexi could hear music. It was coming from behind her, and it had a classical tune to it. Lexi turned around and noticed a large mansion like place not even a half a mile from where she was standing. Lexi sighed then looked down at her body as she felt a cold draft. Her housecoat was nowhere to be found. As Lexi stood in the field completely naked a tall young man stood on the balcony of his room at the mansion. From there he saw Lexi and with a smile disappeared from the balcony. "Great, where the heck am I now? Looks like a nice place, but considering the fact I am in my birthday suit maybe I should try and find something to cover myself with." she said as she began running through the oats. With each step Lexi felt a peace of herself release. In moments she was running with the grace and swiftness of a wolf running through the trees. The ground felt cool against her feet but Lexi did not care. She was at one with nature again, a feeling she had not felt since the summer before.

A breeze began picking up and it blew through the fields which flowed and churned like the waves of the ocean. She felt free again, free to do as she pleased. As she ran she realized that her dagger lay strapped in its sheath on the calf of her leg. Well that is weird, I could have sworn it was in my hands back at home Lexi thought as she looked down at it then back up to the barn beside the mansion she had been running toward. As she broke through the tall oats Lexi felt the wind on her skin cooling her off. The night was not rainy where ever it was that she had come across now. In fact it was pretty warm, without the wind going it could have been about ten degrees above zero. Lexi was almost ten feet from the barn door when she stopped running. As she reached out to push the door open a voice from behind her made her pause in her tracks. Lexi's thick, dark, shallow-river brown hair with specks and streaks of golden yellow strands blew in the wind. She slowly turned her head back to see the face of the man who had addressed her. Slowly her hair began to simply wave gently as if it were dancing and playing in the wind. The moonlight accented the colours in her hair brightly and lit up her face like a lantern in the dead of night. The man was standing there as the moonlight shone brightly in the sky. His hair was as blonde as the fields of golden oat that Lexi had just been running through. In the mans arms was a quilt, woven from the finest of silk and quilted with the tannest of hides. He approached Lexi from behind and unfolded the quilt wrapping it around her. His hands were soft and gentle as they placed the quilt around her. Lexi looked up at his face with a blank expression and a slightly opened mouth.

The man had an interesting face. His left eye was a gorgeous shade of blue, his nose was prominent and he held it high. Nel could tell by his facial characteristics and his clothing that he must have been one of the richer men in this place. "Madame, please, follow me. I will take you into my home and my maid shall dress you." he said as he lead the way. His voice had a thick French accent. Lexi stood there a moment like a deer in the headlights, unsure of what to do. Well, I suppose it's better than hiding out in a barn she thought then began to follow the man. As she walked she realized something, the man she was following had only one eye. The man was one of the richest in that area, and Lexi was informed that she was in France and the year was 1827. His name was Phoebus Lapland, an aspiring artist but he tended the large field on his property for most of the supply in the villages that surrounded his home. His maid was an elderly women, in her fifties. She had been with the family for quite some time. Lexi emerged from behind the wooden separator in a marvellous looking gown. It was for bedtime but none the less looked extravagant.


	9. Chapter 9

She was up in the attic with the maid when she could hear the sounds of a piano playing down the stairs. Lexi placed her hand on the rail and walked gently down the stairs striving to remain silent. The piano was marvellous, the sound resembling something one would imagine being on one of those nature disks for meditation in 2010. She continued down the stairs till she reached the floor the sound was coming from. It was on the third floor down the long corridor. Lexi walked through the hall quietly approaching the room. The music stopped just as she reached the door and Lexi could hear the man mumbling about what notes he had used. Lexi looked in through the crack of the door and watched as he wrote on the music sheets. Then he began playing again, this time continuing on further than were he had left off previously. Lexi leaned against the door and shut her eyes as she listened. The song reminded her of her childhood, a specific memory she had of when her mother took her out on a hiking trip. Lexi was only ten at the time so it wasn't too far from their cabin but that day was a wondrous one.

The birds had been chirping in the trees all morning singing to each other since sunrise. Some of them were chickadees, others robins, and there were two large kingfishers up high in the top of one tree snuggled together. Lexi's mother had been explaining to Lexi that even though the animals in the forest were wild and could not speak the way humans did, they did have feelings like humans. Lexi was not very sure about this but kept her mind open. As they walked Lexi began hearing something. It was a low grunting sound, and it was repeating. Like a bolt of lightning Lexi was off determined to find the source of the sound. As she grew closer she went into a walk. She waded through the puddles gently, stepping on the odd branch that lay on the ground. In the bottom of an old oak tree there was a large hole. Lexi crawled down onto her belly and looked down into the hole. Laying in the hole, making the grunting noise were five young wolf cubs. They must have been just newly born because their eyes were still shut. Lexi smiled as she looked at the pups and was startled when suddenly a force picked her up. It was her mom and Lexi pointed to the hole. "Mamma, look wolf babies!" she said with glee. Lexi's mom covered Lexi's mouth with a smile looking down at the pups quickly."They are beautiful, but we need to go before their momma comes back thinking we were trying to hurt her babies." she said as she gave Lexi an Eskimo kiss. With that Lexi and her mother ran through the brush, making their way swiftly back to the cottage.

Lexi watched and listened as Phoebus played the wondrous song on the piano. Suddenly he stopped moving and grabbed the paper ready to crumple it up and throw it away. Lexi's eyes widened and before she could catch herself she had already blurted out "No!" Phoebus was fairly startled by Lexi, judging on the fact he fell backwards in his chair. He looked up from the floor at the now upside down Lexi. "Welcome to my study, now if you may please let me know what it is you are saying no about." he said as he got up and picked up his chair. Phoebus strode over to the door and opened it fully. "I was talking about your music, it's a lovely piece don't throw it away. It reminds me so much of a memory I had as a child and…" Lexi cut off as she looked around the study. It was gorgeous, everything in that room spoke out to Nel. Everything about the room seamed to entrance her in the memories of her past. There were sketches on the wall of a human skull, different parts of the anatomy, several sketches of different textures, rough copies in pencil of several paintings that hung from the walls, and pictures from books displaying the anatomy of animals. The painting that caught her eye was on an easel near the window looking upon the field. It showed the moonlit sky, the clouds that were surrounding it and floating about, the detailing on the fields of gold, and then Lexi herself, standing in the middle looking across it hair blowing in the wind.

Lexi walked over to it and was astounded by the design of the painting, and the amount of design process that Phoebus had in the room was mind blowing. She turned and looked to him but his head was down. "It's horrid I know…" he said as he referred to the painting. Lexi shook her head "Mr. Lapland this is not in any way horrid. Look at the detail you have put into everything." she said as she turned to admire the painting. "I love the way you make the field seem to sway, and the way you have painted it as a view from a window is simply extraordinary. you have put so much detail even into the hair of the young woman in the field and that in itself is…" she cut off as she felt Phoebus at her back. "Miss, I realize I have not caught your name as of yet. May I have the pleasure of knowing it? Oh, and please call me Phoebus." he asked as he lifted Lexi's long hair up and watched as it fell softly from his hands. Lexi was surprised by the actions of this man. He must think she was some sort of street woman, out to make a buck by any means necessary. Lexi was about to tell him off when she realized something. He was at least a foot taller than her, and she was only five foot two inches. He could easily have done what he wanted with her easily outside and done away with the evidence. He wasn't going to lay a hand on her that she did not want. "My name is Lexi." Lexi cooed as she looked up into Phoebus eye. "Lexi, what a lovely name. Not one I would expect though in these parts. You must be from Ireland. Why don't you have the accent?" he asked her as he took Lexi by the hand and lead her to the kitchen for something to eat.

"Well yes I am, it's in my bloodlines at least." Lexi smiled and finished her bread. She picked up the bowl and drank the milk quickly. When she was done she wiped the milk stash off her face and stretched while yawning. "Well, today has been a really long day. I don't suppose you have an extra room here for me do you? Just for the night?" Lexi asked with a smile. Phoebus smiled and nodded. He took up his candle in his hands and then began to lead the way. Lexi followed, but was soon uncomfortable with the silence. In an effort to break the quiet she finally said something as they were going down one floor. "I'm guessing that your wife is asleep already?" Nel said thinking he must be married for there to be an abundance of woman's clothing on the third floor where she had changed. He looked back to her for a moment but then just kept walking. Lexi sighed thinking maybe she hit a soft spot that he either didn't want to talk about or was ignoring her because it was none of her business. Soon they came to an old door. Made of mahogany with detailing done on the rims. Lexi was guessing he engraved the door with the designs. Phoebus opened the door and nodded to Lexi. "This will be your room for however long it takes before you find your relatives. Have a good sleep Madame." he said then walked off with his candle.

Lexi simply watched as the light from his candle grew further away, and then soon had turned around a corner and was gone. She turned back to the partially opened door and opened it the rest of the way. It was dark inside of the room, almost pitch black. There were black curtains on the windows in the room, that much Lexi could see. She walked with the candle over to the windows and opened the curtains. Suddenly, and abundance of light shone through the windows. Lexi looked into the night sky, and noticed a big, round, brilliantly bright full moon. A sigh of relief escaped her throat and she turned around to look around the room. It was painted red, and the sheets on the bed were black, including the large quilt that was on the bed. Lexi made her way over to the bed and lay down in it a moment with the candle beside her on the night stand. Lexis mind began calming down, going into a sleepy state. Before Lexi accidentally fell asleep she blew out the flame from the candle. The moon shone down into the room the entire night, accompanied by the sound of wolves singing in the forest. It was early in the morning when Lexi woke up. The sun was shining brightly into the room directly in the window. She sat up in bed and stretched like she usually did. Lexi was about to climb out of bed when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked down on the floor beside her feet to see this little curly haired dog. It was rusty red with a white patch on its chest, and the ears on it were long and droopy. She smiled and without warning picked the pup up by the scruff of the neck. The little pup grunted as it was being woken up and yawned as Lexi placed it on her lap.

The little cocker spaniel puppy shook its head and opened up its sleepy little eyes. Lexi simply smiled and picked the little pup up holding it close to her. The little pups tail was wagging a mile a minute and it went into a licking frenzy. Lexi held it in her arms for a moment before getting out of bed and placed the pup on the floor beside her. As she walked down the hall the little scamp followed after her, jogging to keep up with Lexi as she walked. When she reached the stairs the pup stopped a moment and just moved its feet around then started baying pitifully. Lexi laughed at the little pup then picked him up and walked down with him to the second floor. When Lexi reached the stairs to go to the first floor, she had come across the old woman again. "Good morning Madame, how was your sleep?" she asked almost as if she thought of Lexi as being what they called in that time a master. Lexi shrugged her arms slightly and smiled holding onto the pup who was slightly wriggling around in her arms. "It was pretty good, I woke up this morning and this little guy was in the room with me. I guess I must have forgotten to close the door. What time is it?" Lexi said as she stroked the puppy in her arms. The old woman looked out the window and then back to Lexi "Its about six in the morning. Are you hungry? Master Phoebus asked me to hold of on breakfast until you woke from your slumber. Breakfast shall be in an hours time, you best go get some clothes from the room I showed you last night. Master would be disappointed to see you attending the dinner table in night garments." With that, the old woman was off like a bolt of lightning. Lexi looked down to the puppy and shrugged "Guess we should go get some clothes on eh little buddy?"

It took Lexi almost half an hour to find the room again. She set the puppy on the ground and began going through the clothes. Lexi wasn't exactly sure what she could wear to breakfast that wouldn't end up offending Phoebus in some way. She eventually came across a simple blue dress with white sleeves that went to her mid forearm. She got it on then looked down at the puppy. "So, what do you think little guy? Think this will do?" she asked as she twirled and looked at herself in the mirror than back to the puppy. His little stub of a tail started wagging and he began panting, then barked three times. "Ill take that as a yes then." Lexi said as she picked him back up and went down to the ground floor of the mansion. Lexi simply had her hair tied back in a ponytail with an elastic she had on her. She left her grown bangs out of the ponytail and had then dangling on the sides of her head down to her shoulders. When she hit the first floor Lexi could smell the food being cooked. She followed the scent and put the puppy back on his own four legs. He scampered off ahead of her bound for the scent of the food. When Lexi reached the dinning room breakfast was just starting to be served. In the room seated at the table was Phoebus, another gentleman who seemed to be in his 40's, and a woman who appeared to be a bit younger than the man. Phoebus and the older gentleman stood up as Lexi walked into the room and was about to take a seat beside the other woman. Lexi thought it strange, but then realized times were different here. Men were far more courteous toward women in this day than in the future.


	10. Chapter 10

Lexi bowed her head then took a seat. She looked down at her feet and noticed the little puppy sitting under the table keeping his eyes open for any food that may touch the ground. The table was quiet while everyone was eating. Again, another custom that Lexi was not at all used to. After everyone had finished eating breakfast Lexi broke the silence "That was the best breakfast I have had in years. My mother never was that good at cooking." Phoebus laughed at the comment but the older couple didn't seem to find it all that funny. "Phoebus, we need to discuss your current position now." said the older gentleman. Phoebus looked up to the old man and nodded. "What is your concern now Uncle Albert?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Phoebus, it's been four years since Paulina's death. You need to find a new bride. I know you needed time to mourn her death and that of your first child but enough is enough. If you do not marry before the month is out I am cutting you off. You and I both know you wouldn't be able to live like this without my help. As far as this young girl here is concerned I believe you're a damned fool. You know nothing about her yet you let her into your home with free run of the place." Albert said rather bluntly.

Lexi was stunned by the blatant disregard for her respect that this man was showing. She was sitting right there and she could hear it all. The look on her face went from a smile to more of a displeasured look. The old woman pitched in next "Your uncle is right Phoebus, this girl could be a gypsy for all you now. She could cast a curse upon you and your bloodline that would forever doom the family." Lexi simply sat there, completely dumbfounded for the second time in a week. Wow, these people are nuts… she thought as she sat there simply. Phoebus had been sitting quietly at the end of the table for a moment then suddenly he was wearing a smile on his face. "Walter, would you please get the horse and carriage ready for my aunt and uncle please." he said looking back and forth between the two of them. "Uncle, I'll find a bride don't worry, but never again will you disrespect any guests in my home. Let alone right in front of them. Your dismissed, we'll see you at the end of the month." he said as he then stood up and left the room. Lexi just sat there at the table and within moments was left alone. Only her and the puppy were in the room and after a few minutes, Lexi was quick to make an exit from the quiet room as the little pup scurried on after her. Lexi didn't need to walk far before she came across Phoebus again.

He had been sitting in the living area of the home. The room was covered wall to wall in extravagant pieces of art. All had the same initials and each seemed to tell a story. Lexi looked at the paintings for a moment and wore a smile of merriment. She sat down on the floor with the pup crawling onto her lap and began petting the puppy as she looked to Phoebus. "Thank you for standing up for me back there, but you didn't have too." she mentioned. Phoebus let out a little snicker, then shook his head. "No, I must say I did need to. The day I allow anyone to tell me in my own home tell me what to do is the day I dig my own grave and crawl into it willingly." he snickered with a sincere tone. Lexi laughed at what he had said without really thinking. He smiled back and pointed to the puppy. "Have you named him yet?" Phoebus inquired as Lexi continued to pet the puppy. Lexi was caught off guard by this gesture of kindness. She picked the pup up again in her arms and tilted her head slightly. "You mean, he is for me?" Lexi replied questioningly. Phoebus nodded and the two were quiet for a moment. Lexi looked the pup over thoroughly and soon had a smile on her face. "I think I shall name him Foxy. My mom had a dog like this one when she was a young girl. Thank you Phoebus, he is absolutely incredible." Lexi said as she let the little pup chew gently on a stray piece of cloth. Phoebus was still smiling when he stood up from his chair and walked over to Lexi. He held his hand out toward her and helped her back up off the ground. Lexi smiled as she took his hand with one hand and held Foxy in her free hand. "Follow me, I want to show you something." Phoebus said as he began walking toward the door of the mansion.

Soon Lexi found herself walking along a path with Phoebus through the forest. Foxy followed along after Lexi sniffing at the ground occasionally but keeping up for the most part. Lexi caught herself looking at Phoebus a few times as he had his back turned to her while they walked. It was silent for a while, but Lexi was enjoying the view of Phoebus. He looked back as Lexi was eyeing him and chuckled . With a smile on his face he pointed up ahead the path a short ways "We're almost there, hope you know how to swim." he said as he began jogging ahead a little bit. Lexi started running after him as she was smiling. Foxy darted out and ran ahead of both Lexi and Phoebus. Suddenly Lexi and Phoebus were at a little shelf that was position just above the water. Phoebus had striped down to his underwear but Lexi just ran right ahead and jumped in. The two surfaced within five feet from each other. Lexi smiled at Phoebus and soon found herself blushing. Phoebus swam closer to her and placed his hand on her cheek. Lexi giggled a moment and then as she looked into Phoebus' eye splashed at him then dove back down into the water. Phoebus shook his head then went down after Lexi. He motioned for her to follow him and so Lexi did. After a moment under the water both resurfaced in another area, it was an underwater cave.

Lexi looked around in amazement at the stones and crystals in the cave. She turned to Phoebus and then crawled up onto the cave floor. "When did you find this?" she asked completely astonished by the beauty of nature. Phoebus shrugged his shoulders and put his arms on the ledge as he swam in place. "To be perfectly honest, I found this place completely by accident." he said as he looked around. The crystals in the cave were amethysts. Large pointed purple and smoky purple amethyst stones. Lexi looked back to Phoebus then sat in front of him with her legs crossed sitting Indian style. "How did you find it?" she asked completely intrigued by his luck. Phoebus sighed and then looked around the cave. "I actually found it the day my wife died. It was about five in the afternoon, my wife and child died during childbirth around noon that day." "I was running through the forest in no particular direction when I came across the pond. I decided that I was going to end my life then and there. I dived into the water and went down under the cliff thinking I'd drown. Then as suddenly as I jumped into the water I floated to the surface. I put my head above the water to see where I was and was amazed to see this place." "I took it as a sign, that everything would be alright one day, and that my wife and child were in a better place. So, I got out of here and headed back to my house. That's when I started up the piano. Paulina knew the piano, so I decided to continue her work and learned it myself." he said in a soft tone. Lexi just sat there completely astounded by the occurrence.

She sighed and placed one hand on Phoebus' hands. "I'm sorry about what happened to your wife. It must have been horrible to go through that." Lexi chimed in apologetically. He smiled and placed one of his hands on hers. "Well, it's been four years. I do miss her, but I do need to move on. I'm not the kind of guy my aunt and uncle want me to be. It isn't my style to date girl after girl after girl non-stop till I find my next wife." he said looking into Lexis' eyes. Lexi and Phoebus were in the cave for almost three hours before they decided to leave. The two surfaced on the other side to see Foxy laying in the warm sand sleeping. Lexi laughed and picked up the pup. Phoebus picked up his clothes and the two walked back to his home hand in hand. It was well past sundown when they got back to the mansion. All of the staff were nowhere to be seen, probably in their own quarters. Phoebus looked to Lexi as they entered the home "Care for some dinner?" Lexi smiled and nodded. She was starving, the eggs and bacon had worn out of her a long time before. Lexi and Phoebus made their way down to the kitchen and soon had found something quick for super, Phoebus' choice. Each of them sat at the table with a bowl of milk and a few slices of buttered bread. Lexi tore pieces of the bread and dipped them into her milk before eating them. The two began talking again, this time about how Lexi came to be at Phoebus` home and standing in the field the night before. "It's a really long story. Since you have taken your time though to let me into your home and clothe me I suppose I should tell you though... I'm not from this time." she said as they walked down the stairs. Lexi told Phoebus about everything. About where it was she was from, the time she was from, her art teacher, the visit with Adolf, running home, and then the incident with the burglars. At first he did not seem to believe it but then he began getting enthusiastic.  
>"So you are from the future, is that why you told me not to throw away that music? Is it popular in your time?" he asked as he picked up the two empty bowls. Lexi picked up a slice of bread and took a bite. It was delicious, simply perfect, bread in the future was not even this close to being so great. Lexi swallowed the bite and nodded her head. "It is fairly popular among naturalists and people who meditate. I do both so that kind of music is something I listen to a lot." Lexi exclaimed with a wide smile. Phoebus smiled and looked at Lexi "Did you honestly think that the painting in the room was that good?" he asked as he leaned onto the counter keeping his attention on Lexi. After taking another bite Lexi again nodded her head "I personally think it is gorgeous. I am amazed that you actually painted me standing there with such detail in only a few short minutes." Phoebus smiled and shook his head "I actually painted that the night before last. I was having this dream that a beautiful young woman running in my fields out there with long two toned hair like yours. Her voice was something that I'd never forget though, she sounded like an angel when she was singing." Lexi had yet to sing in this time. It had been a few years since she had even practiced, she couldn't stand direct attention like that let alone if people hated her singing. Lexi shrugged her shoulders "Well I don't know if I can sing well. I haven't sung in a few years. Last time I sang I think I was in grade five." Phoebus laughed a moment then looked out the window. The moon was out again, big and bright as it was the night before.<br> 


	11. Chapter 11

Phoebus left the conversation at that and with a hug and a kiss to the cheek he left Lexi sitting in the kitchen. Lexi sat at the table as she looked out the window. She sighed as her mind wandered back to the time she had been enjoying with Phoebus in the underwater cave. As the night drew on, Lexi slept soundly in the room she had been in the night before. As she dreamt she found herself back out in the golden field. Lexi looked around as she realized her surroundings. From where she stood she could see lights on the path toward the mansion. Lexi ran toward the lights, remaining hidden in the taller patch. When she got close enough, a realization was made. They were obviously a group of villagers. Most carried their torches, but two of the men in the group where in full plated armor, carrying beside them bastard swords. Lexi watched on quietly from her spot in the field as they talked quietly amongst each other. As they talked they walked slowly closer toward the mansion. Lexi watched as several of the men removed something from their satchels, and placed them at the door gently. Lexi watched on and then was surprised by what she heard next. "Men, we are here to give proper sendoff to our college, our friend, and a father. He has been gone for ten years, but he still remains in the hearts of those he knew. Vernon, light the mansion now. Phoebus wanted the house burned after the death of his eldest son." the larger man in armor said as he lay a sword wrapped in cloth down onto the steps of the home. The second man in armor laid down a golden shield, and with that the group commenced burning the mansion. Tears strolled down Lexis face as she watched the house burn. She pinched herself to insure she was dreaming. Nothing. She felt nothing as she stand there pinching herself trying to awaken from the nightmare. In seconds, the fields as well were in flames. Lexi ran as quickly as she could trying to escape the blowing fire, but it was gaining on her quickly. Suddenly, Lexi fell to the ground, and everything went pitch black.

The past days with Phoebus had gone by quickly. As Lexi lay in darkness, what she imagined to be purgatory, the days played over in her head. In the initial night, his reluctance to allow her into his study. The unfinished painting, the unfinished song, and the player piano. The mornings, he ate nothing, and it seemed as if nothing was in the home as far as food was concerned. The maid and her seemingly floating swiftness in the home. At the pond Phoebus made no splash when he entered the water, nor when he and Lexi surfaced in the cave. Little things from the past few days had all collected themselves in Lexis mind. In the darkness everything just seemed to pile on, Lexi began to feel the pressure of all that had happened before her time with Phoebus just pilling up on her once more. As she lay on what seemed to be cold tile, she began to think again about her surroundings. She sat up and slowly crawled until she found a wall. Placing her right hand upon the wall she began to walk, following the wall to the exit of where she currently was. Hoping, that indeed there was an exit.

The tunnel seemed everlasting as she walked along its dark, musty path. As she ventured further down the tunnel the scent was slowly making its leave. Going from what seemed to be a musty scent into an oceanic scent. The smell of salt water began to fill Lexis nostrils as she continued her long walk. She had started walking what almost seemed like four hours earlier. After venturing so far down the tunnel, light slowly began to find its way into the tunnel. Lexi continued on and finally emerged into the light of day.

~somewhere in time~

The sounds of the stereo system were pumping loudly bellow the many floors that were between the club and the suit in the hotel where Aiden Moriarti had rented a room. Twenty four floors up and the entire suit was almost the full floor. Not ten minutes prior and Aiden had been in a business meeting in a silent room at the back of the building with some old friends. They were meeting in this sleazy Seattle hotel for the anniversary of their coming home from WW1. All four of the men had moved to the United States just before the war. All four had been stationed in the same camp before returning to America, but they had made a promise. Every year they would meet in their respective homelands. The last two years had been visits to England, and the next was to be Ireland, Aiden's homeland. Aiden was in his early forties now. His once red hair was now beginning to brindle. In the shadows of the room a silhouette moved ever so slightly back and forth in the spot on the couch where it had taken a seat. Aiden had been looking across Seattle for five minutes since he got to his room with the silhouette. The silhouette was another tradition sadly, but not one that he ever did partake in. The silhouette was truly that of a street girl. This one was young, thirteen or fourteen at best. He finally turned to her and smiled a sweet smile. "My dear girl, you have nothing to fear. I don't plan on using your services tonight." He said as he walked over and took a seat on the arm chair near the couch. The girl shuddered in the cold room. She went to say something but then silenced herself. Aiden gave a chuckle "It's alright. Now tell me Amy, if that is your name, why is it you are in this place and doing this at such a young age? When I was your age all the girls I knew were just starting to date."

The girl stayed quiet for a moment then broke the silence. "My name is Chance, not Amy." She said then went quiet again. Aiden smiled and nodded his head as he placed a cigar in his mouth and lit it with a match. He shook the flame off the match with one quick movement and took a puff of the cigar. The end of the cigar light up like a bulb on a Christmas tree. He exhaled the smoke and held the cigar in his right hand "I know who you are Miss Chance Hearting." Chances eyes lit up and she lifted her head up with her mouth opened slightly. "Pick your mouth up off the table dear, it is rude," Aiden preached, "I know a lot more about you than you think I might Miss Hearting. You were born in Texarkana Texas to proud parents William and Jennifer. You decided to run away from home when you were twelve. You made a living on the streets serving as a slave to men. All in my opinion were too stupid to get a girl without having to pay them." He said in a matter of fact kind of tone. Chance sighed and nodded her head. "They… they just didn't understand me. They thought they could…""use you?" he cut in while she was speaking. Chance nodded her head quickly this time. Tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "It's alright dear you don't need to worry about it anymore. I'm here to help you out." Aiden said as he removed a checkbook from his tux coat pocket. On the check he wrote a nice figure, and then held it in the air. "Miss Hearting, what I am about to give you will leave you well off for the next ten years. When that time comes, I want you to be prepared for a phone call. I know about your power, and if you wouldn't mind I would like you to be a part of something I have been researching for the last ten years. Do we have a deal?" Aiden asked looking down on Chance with a gleam of hope. She nodded her head and took the check.

After looking down at it for a moment in disbelief, she got up and gave Aiden a tight hug. She was crying tears of joy as she ran out of the room. Aiden stood up from his chair and went back over to the window. He watched the streets of Seattle, keeping an eye on Chance from above. She was quick in her steps as she ran as quickly as she could toward a bus. Last Aiden had seen of Chance was her getting onto the bus with nothing in her possession other than the forty dollars she had before, and the check for eighty thousand dollars.

The time was unknown again, but the land was all too familiar to Lexi. It was a small Irish community. One close to the coast from what she could tell. The fields seemed to roll as a wind blew through the land. Lexi took in a deep breathing taking in the smell of the ocean. She looked around. There wasn't a whole lot here, but what was here looked very unpleasant. The community almost seemed dead, walking around with their heads hanging down in what seemed to be disapproval of Lexi. As she passed by many of the people began to snicker and whisper behind her back. Lexi continued to walk around looking for clues in the time frame when she was suddenly snatched up from the ground. In a quick moment she had been plucked from the street and placed into a burlap sac. She had been kicking and screaming in the sac for almost ten minutes before going silent. Her silence was due to a quick hit in the head with a blunt object. As she lay in the burlap sac, a small puddle of blood began to form where her head lay. After an afternoon of laying silently within a burlap sac, the wagon came to a stand still. Lexi was still in the sac. She had regained consciousness and had realized something as she came to. All seemed to be quiet in and around wherever she was. As the quiet went on, Lexi began to move around in the burlap sac once more, this time in an effort to remove herself from it. It took only a few seconds once she had settled down and started to inch herself out of the sac. Soon she was out of the sac and sitting with her hand pressed to her head. It was a simple cut above her eyebrow, but nonetheless it still hurt. With that she took a look around where she lay. The cart was fairly large. Most of it was filled with belongings from what looked to be a high class home, but there were several articles she could not fathom the origin of.

It had been a while since Lexi had heard anything from around the cart. She slowly moved the curtain from the back of the cart and looked out across the land. She was not in the village anymore, that much she was sure of. The land here seemed to roll over itself even more so. Her positioning was still close to the sea. She looked down from the perched cart toward a sandy beach, where she figured the men beneath were fetching water. Lexi brought her head back into the cart and began looking around for anything that could be useful against her captors. After a few minutes of searching she came across an old looking rifle. Her hair was a mess, so with a stray piece of material she tied it back into a pony tail. She looked around the cart and her eyes fell upon another useful tool. A medium sized dagger, perfect in the up close chance that she would need to defend herself. With a startle to Lexi, a scratching began on the cart. Lexi looked out from the cart once more and was amazed to see a young boy. He was filthy looking, almost like he was a homeless child. His hair was pitch black, flowing down to his mid-back. "Lady we need at go!" he said quietly as he grabbed Lexi's arm and pulled her down from the cart. Lexi was jerked by the young boy, completely amazed by his strength. Lexi and the young boy had been walking for almost two hours in silence. The boy seemed fine with that, holding his head up and skipping his merry little way done the dusty road. Lexi watched him in amazement and shook her head. "You know, I don't believe I know your name." Lexi said as they walked. The boy looked back to her and with a grin he simply said "I don't believe I gave it." Lexi was slightly taken back by the comment. Then he laughed and smiled back at her "I'm Victor Moriarti, of Canadian decent I assure you." This young boy had just further amazed Lexi. So young, yet his way of speaking seemed to mature for the most part. "My name is Lexi, it was a pleasure to meet you Vincent." Lexi said as they continued down the dusty road.


	12. Chapter 12

  
>~Back to Aiden…~<br>The streets were quiet as the four men walked down them. The town where Aiden once grew up was almost like a ghost town. Why he wasn't sure, but something didn't seem right. As the men continued on down the streets Aiden caught a glimpse of something in his eye. He looked around to see a young native boy walking with a tall blonde woman. He was maybe five or six, not an overly fed child either. The boy seemed as skinny as a twig, and looked just as hungry as a starving dog. Aiden motioned for the boy to come near, and gave him a satchel of coins. The boy looked at the coins with a look of bewilderment, as if he had never seen money before. The young boy nodded his head at Aiden and was off like a bolt of lightning with the blonde woman in tow. "Aiden, you coming or what?" one of the older gentlemen in the group asked as the three where in a cab that had just came along. Aiden nodded his head and got into the front passenger seat. It didn't take long before the four men were in Dublin. This year's anniversary was the fifty-seventh. Something made it different though, Aiden wouldn't be going back to America right away. He was to be attending an appointment in four days time for an evaluation of health. The four men went into one of the smaller local pubs and began their night of remembering on some of the stories from back in the day. They had all heard the stories time and time again, but that wasn't the point of it anymore. The point was remembering the brave things they did, the people they saved, and those they tried to save. One of the men was in a wheelchair because both of his legs had been blown off. Another had only part of his leg removed. Only Aiden and Ferdinand had remained whole after their ordeals.

The three sat around talking about the night to come, whilst Aiden's mind was elsewhere. He wondered what the outcome would be on his evaluation. Lately the only thing that seemed to be bothering him was his heart, but he shrugged it off as heartburn. Aiden lit up a cigar and enjoyed it while the others seemed to be caught up in the events that would be happening in their hotel rooms that night. As far as Aiden was concerned he was no spring chicken, and at seventy two really didn't want to have a one night fling with some drunken, or worse, paid off young hen. He laughed to himself and then began thinking things over about his life. At seventy two years Aiden was still a bachelor, no sons or daughters left to inherit what he had made out of his life, and no past love affairs that were anything more than one night flings. That was his life, and it was a lonely one. Aiden had excused himself from the table to get some air. He stood outside on the deck that overlooked Dublin. He let out a long sigh and looked up at the moonlit sky. He closed his eyes and listened as the wind blew gently across the night. Aiden was upset with himself for letting things get this far. He did have a wife once, but she was long gone. She was killed in a home invasion after he had departed for WW1. When Aiden left home to fight in the war, she was carrying his child. Aiden had vowed never to love another woman truly after he heard what happened. Now he regretted it, he didn't know if he did have a child out there, or if it was a false report. He never did go back to the home he once owned in Dublin. Aiden went back into the bar and left some money for his drinks. He told the boys he was going to check into something, and in moments was back in a cab. They drove for almost ten minutes before they reached the destination. Aiden got out of the vehicle and asked the driver to wait. He turned back to look at the long driveway that led up a hill. On top of the hill sat a fair sized house. He began the walk and the cab driver parked the car and simply waited for the old man. Aiden was at the front entrance sooner than he realized. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open with his free hand. Everything was just as he had left it almost sixty years before. The photographs on the walls were covered in dust as were the little knick knacks his wife had gathered over the two years of their marriage.

The table in the kitchen had been broken. Now it leaned on three legs, and all four chairs were broken beyond repair. What had once been a sofa was now a rat's nest, several still slept as Aiden walked through the ruins of his old home. Aiden made his way to the stairs and took a step onto the bottom step. The building was still firm to his amazement. He had built this home with his father when he was a young man no older than eleven. Then at fourteen, he married Anne. As he walked up the stairs he braced himself for what he might find. At the top of the stairs Aiden was greeted by a ghastly scene. Dried blood was scattered across the room. The basinet he had carved for his soon to be born child was caked in dried blood. Just as he thought, something more than he was told had happened to his wife than the commander had informed Aiden of. Aiden placed his hands on the blankets that covered his bed. It was the only thing in the room that was not touched by blood. Aiden folded the blanket the same way Anne did, then tucked it gently into his arms and walked down the stairs and back out of the house. Aiden looked back up at the house he once loved. Now all he could see in his house was hate. He walked back down to the cab and continued to the inn where he was staying. He went to bed thinking the first thing in the morning, that house is being brought up in flames. He kept true to his thoughts.

~Lexi's Departure~

It took a while for Lexi and Vincent to finally reach the place Victor called home. The money he had received from the old man previously was almost gone. First he had bought food for himself and Lexi at a local pub. Then after filling his stomach, he had Lexi take him to buy some new clothes to replace his dirty ones. As he put on his new clothes he came out in only the pants and was holding the top. "Could you help me out with this?" he asked Lexi. Lexi took the top in her hand and pulled it over Victors head. He slipped his arms through the sleeves and turned to look over himself in the mirror. He smiled as he looked over his new clothes and quickly took off to pay for the clothes. As they exited the shop Victor began brushing his hands through his long black hair. He looked much cleaner now, and with that his mood was boosted up even more than he previously had been. "Come on, I'll bring you to where I stay." Victor said as he grabbed Lexi's hand and walked just ahead of her. Lexi kept quiet as they walked down a long road on the outskirts of town. The old home was surrounded by an iron gate. It seemed almost haunted, with the appearance of something that was designed from hell. As they grew closer Lexi began to fade out again. Victors grip on her hand had seemingly evaporated. He attempted to grab hold of her again but he went right through her. Lexi looked to the engraved plate on the gate entrance. It read "Connelly's Home for Orphaned Boys". Lexi cupped her left hand over her mouth as her fears were realized. She put her right hand around Victor and said a quick goodbye. With that, she was gone again. Victor watched as she disappeared and he let out a sigh.

The room where Aiden was sitting in the hospital on the day of his appointment was quiet besides the sound of the ticking clock. He had gone through almost eight hours of tests, including a cardio scan. As Aiden waited to be told he could leave he began thinking about selling the property where his home once was. It could sell easily, and then he wouldn't have any other reason to be up there anymore. As he was sitting there he began to think that the property would still come in handy down the road for his plans. The doctor had eventually come back in and released him, deeming him fit for the plane ride back to America. Almost two weeks after the examination the doctor had asked that Aiden return to Dublin for a meeting discussing the further findings of his tests. Aiden traveled lightly thinking it would be a quick trip this time. To his dismay, he was wrong. They had found something wrong with Aiden's heart. He needed to go under the knife immediately to have three stints put in. From the results they determined that Aiden had suffered through three heart attacks simultaneously the night before his testing without Aiden's knowledge. Aiden awoke almost three hours after the surgery and had come to a conclusion while he was under the knife. He was going to adopt a child, and raise him for the remainder of his time on the earth. Aiden had to wait two weeks before he was able to leave the hospital so during that time he contacted several of the adoption agencies within Ireland. If he was going to be adopting a child, the child would at least have Ireland in common with him. After several phone calls Aiden decided he was going to go to these places in person before selecting a child. Though the doctors did not believe it to be a wise idea for a seventy two year old man to be raising a young child Aiden went ahead and did as he pleased.

The first two orphanages that Aiden had gone to were in fact girl's only orphanages. Aiden had decided previously that he wanted a boy at the moment, not a little girl. At the third orphanage however, luck seemed to be on his side. As he entered the orphanage a line of children was collected up the stairs, dressed in some fine looking clothing. One of the women who ran the all boys orphanage greeted Aiden at the door. "Good day to you sir, my name is Maryanne Alfold. How may I help you?" she asked taking his hat and coat for him. "I called earlier, about adopting one of the children out today." Aiden said as he walked along looking at the young boys. Amongst them was a familiar face, the young native boy who he had seen on the streets the month before. The matron as Aiden kindheartedly called her showed Aiden to her office. "First thing is first sir, choosing a child. Anything particular that you are looking for?" she asked. It almost sounded as if she were trying to sell him some sort of new Japanese sports car. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for really. A young boy would be good, but not too young. About seven years old would be good. I assume they are toilet trained by seven? I've never had a child of my own before." Aiden stated as he watched her going through files. The Matron seemed to stop a minute then looked up to Aiden. "Sir, you did say your last name was Moriarti didn't you?" she asked with her head tilted slightly to her right. Adrian nodded and when he did Matron dropped the file she had previously had in her hands. She got down and gathered up the thick folder and placed it onto her desk. She cleared her throat and looked back up to Aiden straight in the eyes. "Mr. Moriarti, I believe I may have some good news for you. Eight years ago someone by the last name of Moriarti left his son here with us. He was a young man in his twenties. When we asked about his family he said he knew of a grandfather who was in the Second World War who was never seen after the war. His grandmother had been killed in a concentration camp in Germany, but her son lived. The young man said his father was somewhere in Russia, but he couldn't care for his own son anymore. Mr. Moriarti, I believe that Victor could possibly be your great grandson."

Aiden was surprised by this nutty woman. He smirked and then spoke "Bring him here then, I'll get the DNA testing done later, but seeing as he already has my last name he won't need to adjust to a changing name." Matron nodded and was off like a bullet. Aiden waited in the room thinking about what the young lad would look like. He thought of a strapping young lad with tan skin, and red curly hair like his had once been. Suddenly the Matron was at the door and turned behind her. "Victor, this gentleman will be taking you with him. Come on in, he wants to take a good look at you." She stated as she poked at the young boy with the hand that wasn't visible. Suddenly through the doors walked in the young native child. Aiden was slightly drawn back by the though. He turned to Matron and asked inquisitively "I don't suppose the boy that left him said if the boy's mother was native?" Matron smiled and shook her head "Mr. Moriarti, I can guarantee Victor isn't native. He was whiter than you when he came here eight years ago. We were just as surprised as you that he tans so well. Then again the boy spends every possible moment he can outside." After the paperwork had been dealt with, Aiden took Victor with him back to the hospital and had the blood work done. Sure enough, Victor was a blood relative to Aiden. Within two hours Aiden and Victor were on a plane to America. The ride there seemed very long. Victor was just looking outside, not saying a word. He would turn to look at Aiden every few moments, but soon found himself looking back outside. When the plane landed Victor got antsy. Aiden was amused by the young child's curiosity once they hit the ground. When he stepped out of the plan he was shocked by how warm it was. "Victor, this is California. I live here in the winter time. It's always warm and sunny out here." Aiden said as the young boy just looked around in amazement. Victor looked up to his great grandfather with a wide smile and began jumping around. "Where do you live?" he asked as he jumped over several rocks on the runway. "Close by, well be there soon enough." Aiden said as he walked with his cane into the airport with Victor hopping along beside him.


	13. Chapter 13

Victor was having a hard time sitting still in the car on the way to Aiden's home. He was steady looking around outside at the new place where he would be taking up residence. Contrary to what Aiden had said, the drive was not ten minutes from the airport, but almost a good half an hour. Aiden's home rested high in the hills along the ocean. It was a large property owned solely by Aiden, with a lot of land for a kid to explore. That was what Victor was thinking when they finally reached the mansion. Aiden got out of the car slowly, and made his way up to the door. Victor wasn't too interested in the house immediately; he wanted to be exploring the outdoors in this amazing place. Aiden allowed for Victor to stay out and play until he would be called for supper. After two hours Aiden decided he would go and find Victor for supper. He walked for almost ten minutes before coming across Victor digging a rather large hole. Aiden smiled and nodded his head. After a moment he chuckled and broke the silence. Victor's head poked out of the hole to look at his great grandfather. Victors face looked like that of a large silvery reptile with the starting of a silver fringe from where his hairline would be straight down his back till the end of his tail. Aiden sighed playfully and broke the silence "That's my boy. I knew you were a Moriarti from the start kid." Victor tilted his head and smiled at Aiden. "Come on Victor, its supper time." Aiden said as he himself transformed into a colossal silver great wyrm. Victor scurried after Aiden and soon the two were off hunting for dinner.

Suddenly Lexi found herself back in her apartment. All of her stuff was as it was the day of the break-in. Quickly she made her way to her laptop turning it on. As it slowly booted up she hoped for the Bringer of Gifts would talk with her once more. No sooner had she signed on, a chat box appeared on the screen. "Hello, how was your vacation?" it asked. There was no address along with the message. Just like him, have no way of really knowing. "Well, if you must know it was good until the time jumps. Why would you give me such a horrible gift? Honestly if that's what it is then I want to return it." Lexi typed back to the chat box. "Oh, come now, it must have brought some good. After all, you managed to find something good in it? Or have you forgotten Phoebus already?" the chat box showed. Lexi shook her head in frustration as she slammed her fingers on the keyboard "That didn't help, if anything it made things worse." The chat box went blank for a moment, and then responded back. "Oh but it did do some good. You had lost your faith in men, and he showed you that you can find a guy who will truly care." the box stated. Lexi stopped as she thought of it for a moment. "Even so, it isn't nice to toy with peoples emotions like that." Lexi said as she began to tear up. "So you do have a heart, I was almost wondering there. You surely see that the young boy was another test. After all, its given you more compassion towards people who don't make the best choices." The words were almost instantly on the screen. Lexi looked around in disgust at the trueness of the words. "What was the point of all of this?" Lexi asked trying to calm down. "Well, look around you now. I assure you your gift is no longer active and in fact has changed. Unlike the last time, you needed to grow more as a person before being given a second gift. This time, you'll need to find it yourself." the screen beamed as the words appeared. Lexi sighed and responded back "Okay, so will I ever see you again?" The screen went blank, and with that Lexi sat at the computer watching the blank screen through the night.

On a day when Victor was off in the military academy that Aiden had enrolled him in, Aiden had decided to meet some old business partners from his past. He was in Russia for the week on business, and thought it a good opportunity to get the next member of his team. She was a young girl, just a few months younger than Victor. She was created in an attempt to fuse the DNA of a wolf and a lynx into human DNA to create a sort of superhuman. The specimen however was not the original plan of what they wanted. For the past six years she had been living in a contained space being cared for by several of the lab technicians. She had proved to be a very brilliant specimen and even challenged the faculty on several occasions. The head scientist, a man named Owen Groesling, had made it very clear to Aiden that she was not like a lot of other little girls. Her appearance was slightly frightening at the beginning, and she could pick up on their fear and use it to her advantage. She had already made eight attacks that month alone. After a few minutes of idle chatter the two gentlemen were gone, soon to be picking up the young untamed creature that resided in a lab beneath Moscow. Though Aiden knew she would be a challenge to tame, he didn't know the creature would be a great asset in years to come.

As Lexi began to adjust back to life in her proper time, she couldn't help but think about the young boy who she had met while going through her phase of completion. She couldn't help but feel that she would somehow meet with him again. It had been almost three full months since she had gotten back to her time zone. It was the last week of school before Christmas time. That morning all seemed pretty quiet. She had been at the school for almost two hours and there was nothing going down anywhere. Not that Lexi hated the quiet, but it was beginning to get too quiet. As she waited for classes, she was paged over the announcements. Lexi was not sure what to expect. Lexi made her way up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door. The principle opened the door and admitted Lexi into the room. An older looking man sat on a chair in front of the principles desk. He wore a wide smile on his face along with a pair of sunglasses. He was wearing a black suit, something there told Lexi this was serious business. "Hello Miss Creed, my name is Aiden Moriarti. I'm here to offer you a full scholarship to my school just outside of North Bay in Canada. Each year a few special students get chosen for this offer. I'm sure you've heard of the Moriarti school of Arts." he said as he stood up and shook Lexi's hand. Lexi wondered if this old man was in fact a descendent of Victor. Lexi took a deep breath and responded "Yes I have heard about it, your school offers some pretty great courses. Do you have a brochure with you?" Lexi asked as she walked took a seat in the empty chair. Aiden removed a pamphlet from his jacket and handed it to Lexi. "I assure you Ms. Creed, this is the chance of a lifetime. Anyone would have to be crazy to pass this opportunity up." the principle mentioned as he watched Lexi's interest begin to solidify.

Lexi began going over things in her mind and came to several conclusions. First and foremost, it was free. Second, it was a terrific school. Thirdly, absolutely NO SANDERS! Lexi held a beaming smile upon her face as she shook Aidens' hand. "Mr. Moriarti, I would be honored to take you up on this offer." Lexi said as she smiled and began thinking about how things would go from there. Little did she realize that what she had gotten herself into was far more than a high end arts school. "I'm pleased to hear that, you'll be starting after the break." Aiden said with a smile. Lexi left the room, excited over the fact she would be leaving her school. With that, Aiden left the school and returned to his home.

As the year came to its end, Victor found himself sitting in the library quarters of the mansion working with Calla, his adopted sister. Calla had been the untamed creature Aiden retrieved from Russia almost eleven years prior. Calla was not easy to tame, but for the most part she no longer acted out on her animalistic instincts. When Calla was young her skin was almost white, but as she grew in age her skin began to darken, into a cyanic blue. Victor looked across the table at his wolf faced sister and gave a laugh. "You know, you'll never get anywhere if you keep up the sulking. What's the problem now?" he asked as he placed the book in his hands down onto the table. Calla looked up at him with an eyebrow cocked. "Do you really want to know?" she asked in her usual somber tone. Victor just tilted his head foreword slightly and waited. "It's about Dad. His got to be at least in his 90's. He doesn't have much time left Victor." Calla said casually. Victor rolled his eyes. Aiden was more than 90, in fact if he was going to be correct about it, Aiden was almost 1200. "Calla, you know as well as I do he's doing just…" Victor was cut off by the sound of Aiden hacking upstairs. Calla folded her arms "You were saying? Look Victor I know he is blood to you but you have to see it. You have to sense it Victor. Dragons have better senses than wolves or snow leopards. If I can smell it, you should be able to." Victor gave a quick huff then looked away from Calla. As far as he was concerned the conversation was over. Calla shook her head in disbelief and looked out the window. Bright as could be, not a cloud in the sky. The two remained quiet for a moment until Calla had an idea. She folded down her ears a moment then perked them back up. She got up and made like she was going to leave the room. When she reached the door she turned to look back. Victor was still facing the window.


	14. Chapter 14

  
>Calla jumped from the door and pounced on Victor bringing him forward onto the ground. Calla remained sitting up on his back like a cat on her prey. "If you refuse to see it, then let's make the best of this year. Just in case of course. Let's go to Ireland for Christmas. At least we'll have snow there. Maybe Dad will enjoy the scenery for a change." Calla said looking down in Victors face. Victor sighed and gave a weak smile. "We can run it by him, but if he won't go then we stay here and you drop the subject." He said getting out from underneath Calla. Calla took her index finger and made a cross on her chest. Victor stood up and began shaking himself off, then quickly knocked Calla down and made a run for the stairs. Calla shook herself getting up and smiled. She hadn't play fought with Victor in four years. She was finally starting to wear down his façade of seriousness. She was getting her carefree brother back. Calla ran from the library and sniffed the air. She turned toward the stairs and got down onto her hands and feet. She sniffed around on the floor following Victors scent down the stairs. The scent drifted down the stairs and throughout the main floor, and lead out the back door. Calla began running at a steady speed till she got to the outside. From the library to the back door she shifted from a human form into a form that likened herself to a mix between a wolf and a snow leopard. She sniffed the hair with her wolf snout and picked up the scent of Victor. Her large fluffy cat tail waved gracefully in the air while she followed the scent. Calla bound quickly now through the dense forest that lay on the Moriarti property. After a half an hour of searching Calla came to a large hole in the ground. It was deep, and it was dark. She sniffed around the top of the hole and suddenly catching her off guard Victor leapt from the hole in his dragon form startling Calla and causing her to roll backward a few feet.<p>Victor landed on the ground slowly flapping his wings then folding them onto his back. "Took you long enough to find me, looks like your nose is starting to lose its senses. Seeing as you've lost that, why don't you go make me a sammich?" Victor said with a sly grin. Calla looked back at him and arched an eyebrow. Victor laughed and made a slight wave of a claw "I'm just pulling your leash Calla." Calla's other eyebrow went up on the leash comment. "You know, I wouldn't be acting all cocky just because you're an oversized lizard with wings if I were you…" "That can breathe ice and walk on clouds." Victor interrupted as Calla began to make a comment. She laughed and smiled at Victor. "Well, I guess you have that, but just don't forget you're not the only cold one here." Calla said as she tagged Victor and ran into the dense woods. "Hey that's not fair!" Victor said as he looked through the spaces of the trees. After the game of hide and seek in the forest Victor and Calla met Aiden on the pool deck. Aiden looked over his newspaper and folded it in half and placed it onto the table beside him. "Ah, Victor and Calla, have fun today?" Aiden asked as Victor and Calla walked up the deck. Both were in their normal human forms again. Calla had on a one piece black designer bathing suit and Victor wore a simple silver pair of swim trunks. "We definitely had a lot of fun. How has your day been Gramps?" Victor said as he took a seat beside Aiden on another pool chair. Calla nodded as she dipped her toes gingerly into the pool. The water was cold, but it didn't matter to Calla. She couldn't feel the cold as badly as a normal person would. Aiden chuckled "Well that is good. I've made a decision today. We won't be spending Christmas here this year. We're going to go up to Dublin, so you should get your things together tonight. We leave in the morning." Victor smiled as he applied the sun lotion to his body. Calla who heard Aiden simply swam around keeping her face away from Victor and Aiden. The entire time, her mind was torn between happiness for seeing snow again, and sadness for knowing this would be the last Christmas with Aiden.<p>

The news of Aiden Moriarti's death had spread like wildfire on boxing day. Lexi had read about it in the newspaper. She decided then and there that she would be attending the funeral. According to the report, the old man had passed away in his sleep Christmas night. He left behind a grandson and an adopted daughter. All of his business was to be handled by the two. Lexi felt a sorrow for the loss. Then she noticed something in the newspaper that made her heart skip a beat. The name of his grandson, was Victor Moriarti.

The mansion was quiet through the hours of Boxing Day. Victor and Calla sat across from each other in the library once more. Neither were reading, just sitting in the room staring off into space. Both felt unusually cold in the room. Calla sighed as she broke from her trance and looked up to Victor. "Victor. I think we should do something. Sitting here isn't helping anything. Let's go for a walk or something." she said as she got up from her seat. Victor didn't respond. He was still blank. Calla walked over to him and nudged his shoulder lightly. "Victor…" she said cooingly. She put her hand on his shoulder and shook a bit harder "Victor." He snapped out of the trance and looked to Calla "Huh?" Calla shook her head "Victor lets go for a walk. We aren't helping ourselves any by staying here." Victor nodded his head and stood up. Calla and Victor walked in silence for almost fifteen minutes. They reached the burrow on the edge of the grounds. Calla and Victor peered into the large hole in the ground. Calla tilted her head onto Victors shoulder and placed a hand on his back. "You made this with his help, didn't you?" she asked looking up at him. Victor nodded his head in response as he took a deep breath. Calla walked from him to the hole. She sat on the edge and rested her hands on the ground. "Do you want to come in with me?" she asked as she turned back to look at him.

Victor seemed to stand still as a deer in the headlights. After a moment he nodded and began walking toward the hole. Calla slid down into the deep hole, and looked around in the torch lit cave that had been carved out by hand. There were markings on the wall from years before. Victor jumped down the hole and was standing behind Calla. He let out a large sigh. "I was 8 when we started making this place. He always wanted it to be our place you know? For our hoard. He always said he looked forward to the day when we would get to build up our hoard." Victor said as he looked around at the empty den. Calla walked back to Victor and wrapped her arms around him. "You knew him so much longer than I ever did. Victor, how long do dragons live for?" she asked as she kept him in her grips. "Usually about 1000 years. It all depends on the type of dragon I suppose." he said as he looked down at her. She looked up at him with wide eyes "How old are you now?" Victor was quiet for a moment. "Well, I was born in 1810. So, I am about 201." he said looking down at her. Calla's grip loosened "Good, I couldn't lose you and Dad both in my lifetime." Victor gave a weak smile as he hugged Calla back "I'm not going to leave my family behind Calla, and don't forget it." Victor said as he let her go and looked into her eyes. Calla looked up at Victor and nodded. She looked back toward the entrance of the cave and turned back to Victor. "I'll let you have a moment alone here." she said as she began crawling out of the den. Victor looked around the den and walked over to a shadowed corner. He took a torch from the wall and shed light on the corner. He placed his hand onto the wall as he touched the carving. On the wall was a pictured Victor had carved when they built the den. It was an engraving of himself and Aiden.  
>All that could be heard from the back of the greyhound bus where the youth in a hoodie and sweatpants sat was the revving of the tires beneath. The youth had been sitting there for almost three hours before she awoke. The ride from Toronto was almost six hours, but most of it she slept peacefully. With the exception of the crying baby that was with its father near the front of the bus. As she woke from her deep sleep she looked out the window of the bus at the scenery outside. A lot of it was rock, built up over the thousands of years they had been there. It left a nostalgic feeling in her gut as she saw the rocks with inscriptions made by couples over the years. At one time, she had someone close to her. He was an interesting character, not completely himself with people in a group of friends. They had that in common and as a bonus most of their friends were assholes. They hung around the same people all of the time. During the school years they were very rarely apart. Their fling had never reached its full potential but she did love him immensely. It was because of underlying problems with her psyche that they never reached where they should have. She was withdrawn for the most part and hated getting close to people in fear of losing them. It wasn't until after she realized how stupid it was. People would always come and go in life. That was something no amount of solitude could really get rid of.<p>

On that bus there was only about five other people not including herself and the father with his baby. She removed a brown paper bag from her backpack and twisted the lid that poked out of the top. She took a swig and put it back into the front pocket quickly. She sighed as she looked up towards the roof of the bus. From the seat in front of her a little girl no older than ten stood up and turned around to face her. Her hair was brown, shoulder length and straight as a pin. The youth looked at the little girl and smiled. "Hey…" she said and went back to looking at the roof. The little girl tilted her head as she looked at the youth. "My name is Cassandra, what is your name?" she asked in a squeaky little voice. The youth looked at the child named Cassandra and tilted her head slightly "It's Parker. Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" The little girl seemed alarmed by the question. She put a hand on her head and scratched it for a moment. "Well, actually no. My mommy died when I was little. I live with my nana now." She said as she began fiddling with the straps on her jumpsuit. Parker sighed and furrowed her brow a bit before speaking "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."


	15. Chapter 15

The little girl smiled again and piped up "Well it isn't your fault. It's not like we walk around with signs on our heads telling people we don't have mommies or daddies. My daddy hasn't been in my life since mommy passed away. He's in North Bay. That's where I am going. I want to find my daddy and get him to come home with me." Parker put her head back up and sighed a little as she thought about the chances. They were not high, not in North Bay of all places. More than likely this girl knew nothing about her dad other than where he was. No name, no occupation, no place of living, not even a phone number. "Do you know who your daddy is?" Parker asked Cassandra. Cassandra shrugged her shoulders "I don't really know, but I do have a picture of him. From before I was born, it was him and my mommy." As her little voice spoke, her hands reached down into her little pocket and removed a crumpled up rectangle. She unfolded it and handed it to Parker. "That's him, right there." She said as she pointed to a tall muscular man. Parker looked over the picture and gave it back to Cassandra. "Well, do you have anyone with you to help find your dad?" Parker asked as she noticed the turn into North Bay was quickly approaching. Cassandra shook her head. Parker sighed. So this kid is here, all by herself, and trying to find one person in a huge city… the adult in me says I should inform the bus driver, the teen in me says to ditch her and get rid of that problem… she thought as they reached the bus station.

As the bus came to a stop Parker was about to let the little girl just walk along. When Cassandra got up and was about to leave her seat, Parker grabbed her arm gently. "I'll help you find your dad ok? Just do me a favor and if anyone asks I'm your big sister. I don't need to be thrown in jail for kidnapping a kid who decided to skip town and find her daddy. Got it?" Parker said after rolling her eyes. Something inside told her she would regret doing this. Cassandra smiled up at Parker and zipped up her winter coat. "Don't forget your hat." Parker said as they walked off the bus. Cassandra placed the pink hello kitty hat on her head. She seemed rather light footed once off the bus. Parker watched as the bus slowly drove away. Cassandra looked brimming up at Parker. "Where are we going to start?" she asked inquisitively. Parker looked around then over toward the bus station. "First, we are getting lunch. I don't know about you but I know I am starving." Parker said as she picked up her backpack and her suitcase and started walking toward the station. As they entered a few people sitting at the tables looked up, but then went back to their conversations. Parker and Cassandra took a seat at the counter chairs. Cassandra sat on hers but soon went to fidgeting and began spinning on the chair. The squeaky noise from the chair flooded the station and everyone was soon looking at the young girl. Parker looked over to her, and almost in unison Cassandra stopped spinning. "What will it be for you two ladies this morning?" asked the waitress as she walked over to Parker and Cassandra. "Coffee for me, and I'll have breakfast special #2. What about you, kid?" Parker said then turned to Cassandra. Cassandra looked up at the menu "Can I have chocolate milk and a fried egg with toast?" she asked Parker. Parker looked down at her with a grin "Don't ask me, I'm not the one taking the order." Cassandra looked toward the waitress again "May I?" The waitress gave a low chuckle "You know, it has been a while since I've seen a kid this well behaved."

With that she was bringing the slip of paper to the back, and returned with a box of chocolate milk, a coffee cup, and a fresh pot of coffee. She gave Cassandra her drink first with a straw. Then placed the coffee cup on the counter and filled it almost to the top. Parker added in the milk and sugar after the waitress left. Cassandra took a drink from her chocolate milk and looked back up at Parker. "Why are you here?" she asked as she sipped on her chocolate milk. Parker looked down to her "It isn't really any of your business." Cassandra shrugged down into the seat. "Sorry." She said as she took another sip. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Just don't try getting into my business ok. I am a very private person and I don't go telling random people I just met my life story." Parker said before taking the first sip of her coffee. Cassandra kicked her feet back and forth as the two sat in silence while they waited for their breakfast. Cassandra's was served first, the eggs still with the yolk in them. Apparently, that was the way she loved them. Parker's breakfast, contrary to the name, wasn't very special. It consisted of a small serving of scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, and a small serving of home fries. The two ate quietly and after finishing Parker paid the bill. "Let's go, it's gonna be a long day." Parker said as she put her winter coat back on and picked up her bags. "One second!" Cassandra said as she reached into her pocket. "Miss, do you know this person?" she asked as she held out the photograph of her father.

The waitress studied the photograph for a moment but then just shook her head. Cassandra seemed to be saddened as she put the picture back in her pocket and made her way out the door. Parker watched as the little girl walked with such sorrow. Soon the two were both out of the dinner, and halfway to the Tim Horton's restaurant. Cassandra was careful while walking. As much as Parker was surprised, the little girl had managed to stop every person they were going by to see if anyone knew who her daddy was, or where he might be. With no real help, other than a guy who said he had seen him around a few years earlier, they continued to walk.

Lexi had taken almost three hours to prepare herself for the funeral of Aiden Moriarti. She figured by going there she may get some information on Vincent if she spoke to the right people. She was in a pair of black dress pants and a black turtleneck. On that she wore a long black trench coat. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun. She wore no makeup. What had taken her so long was finding funeral appropriate clothing in her closet. As she sat at her kitchen table finishing off her cup of coffee, Twinkie flew from her room and into the kitchen, landing on the table beside Lexi's cup of coffee. The little bat lifted its head up toward Lexi, its little face twitching as it took in the scents in the room. Lexi sighed and put her hand out for Twinkie. Quickly the little bat moved up onto Lexis' hand and seemed to hug it. Lexi lightly slid her hand down the little bats back.

Lexi looked toward her clock and then back to Twinkie. "Well Twinkie, I'll be back in a bit. You'll need to stay in your room for a while. Ok?" she said as she carried him to his room. She placed him down on his fruit tray and left the room, closing the door behind her. Lexi looked around her room one last time before leaving. Things were about to get really interesting. Victor and Calla had been preparing themselves for some time. Calla was dressed in a black long sleeved dress. She had changed her appearance from her usual into a more human looking form. Though the fur was gone and so were her wolfish features, she still had cyanic blue skin. After fixing her hair Calla began with fixing that. She had foundation in a make up kit she had received for Christmas two years earlier. She took the lighter foundation and began going over her face with it.

Victor began getting suspicious when Calla had been in the washroom for almost an hour. He opened the door and Calla looked at him. Victor smiled "You know, you don't have to do that." Calla sighed "I know, but I want to. I want to look normal." Victor walked closer to Calla "You know the funeral is going to be quiet, so why?" Calla looked back down to the ground and then back at Victor. "Unlike you, I look like death in my human form. No normal person has blue skin." she said as she put the last touches on her skin. She was pale looking now, not ghostly pale, but that of a person with a fair complexion. Calla looked back to Victor. The two stood there for a moment and then they left the washroom. Victor was ahead of Calla as he walked down the stairs. He looked back to Calla observing her job. She had gotten much better at applying the foundations she had been given. Personally he preferred her darker tones, but the colour suited well for that day. All he hoped was, for Callas sake, she wouldn't start crying.


	16. Chapter 16

~~~  
>Lexi took a taxi from her apartment to airport. She was booked on a flight to North Bay. The Moriarti School of Arts was located just outside of the city. The funeral was to be held there, Aiden was to be buried under a tree that had been planted there when the school had been first opened. The flight was long, but Lexi slept through most of it. All went smoothly until she got to the airport. As she walked off the plane she was escorted by a large man into a large limousine. As she ducked into the vehicle, she felt a jab in her side, and everything went blurry.<p>Victor and Calla had been standing in front of the hole looking down into it for some time. Calla had been tearing up for a little while, her foundation was beginning to run. Victor sighed as the hearse pulled up containing Aidens ashes. He took the urn and with Calla at his side the two walked down into the den. Calla took a torch down from the wall and looked to Victor as he kept walking toward a shrine. Victor placed the urn atop the shrine and backed up beside Calla. He turned to her and placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment, patted her shoulder, then left the den. Calla looked at the shrine for a moment and then made her way back up to the surface. She kept her composure as she continued the walk toward the mansion. When the door closed behind her, she broke down crying on the ground. Victor was sitting in Aidens' old study. He placed his hands on the old oak desk and slid it as he walked behind the desk, sitting down on the leather chair where Aiden so often spoke to Victor. Victor closed his eyes for a moment then looked around the empty room. It seemed gloomy now that Aiden was gone. Almost as if all life that had once been in the room had left it.<p>

Victor looked back at the desk. It was exactly the way Aiden had left it, completely clean and organized. Pencils were in jars separated by size and type. His papers were neatly stacked, and the computer was powered down. Victor opened the drawers to the desk as he sat looking around for any notes Aiden may have written for Calla and himself. As he closed the last drawer, a parchment fell from the ceiling. Victor looked up as he noticed it falling. The parchment hit the desk with a soft thud. Victor looked at it for a moment, not saying a word. He picked up the parchment and began reading.

It is the 24th of December, and I know my time has reached its end. More than likely it will be Victor who finds this letter first. You always were a snoopy child. In fact, I'm relying on your snooping this time. For the past 40 years I have been doing some snooping myself. You and Calla are not the only special people in the world. I have been tracking them down as of lately, trying to get together a group that will be able to defend against the forces that are about to be unleashed upon the world. Many years ago I told you of a crack in our world where there seems to be an abundance of creatures among us that have not been here for years. I have found the locations of some of the beings with the most potential. If you were to put on the computer and go into the file entitled SSAM you will find the profiles of the desirables. With me gone, you will be the team leader. Calla is to be our tracker. She has potential for greatness, and I'm sure you have noticed her knack for finding lost things. There are more letters around the mansion that will be found when the time is right. Although I may not be among the living, I am still in the mansion. Right now, you need to go to the door and allow entrance to those who are waiting for you.

Victor looked up from the letter as he heard the ring of the doorbell. He dropped the letter and ran from the room making his way to the main entrance. The doorbell rang once more just as he opened the door. Huffing from the run Victor smiled at the two large men standing at the door. "Hello sirs, Vincent Moriarti. How can I help you today?" Vincent asked as he motioned for the men to come in. The two men entered, followed by another two men who carried the still body of a person. Her head was covered with a cloth bag. "Mr. Moriarti, we have been informed that Aiden has passed away. Our condolences for that. However, if you insist on following the crazy old mans plans this is the first of the team. My name is Walter Norton, I was a very close friend of the old man." the larger of the men said as he shook Vincent's hand. Victor looked over at the girl "You know, I was under the impression that Calla and I would need to find the people ourselves." Walter had a stern look on his face as the other three kept quiet. "Well Victor, if it had not been for a competitor you would have gotten this one yourself. Fortunately for you we found her before the others could reach her." Walter said as the two men placed her down on the couch. Walter snapped his fingers and the three men left the home. Walter looked back to Vincent. "If it were not for the debt I owed to your grandfather I wouldn't have been here. After all, the relationship between red and silver dragons is not a good one. Watch your back boy, we aren't the only dragons around." he said as he exited the home and got into the limo.

Vincent watched as the limo drove out the long driveway. He turned back toward the couch in the living room to see the girl starting to stir. "Victor, who was that?" Calla asked as she descended down the stairway in a bathrobe. A towel was around her hair, and the foundation was washed off. Her shape morphed back into her wolf like form as she came down the stairs. Her large tail was drenched and slopping water all over the floor. "Calla, look at the mess!" Victor snapped up at her. Calla's ears went back on her head. "Sorry, didn't realize you were that much of worry for water." Calla said as she reached the bottom step. She looked into the living room toward the couch. She was at a loss for words seeing a girl lying down on the couch with a bag over her head. "Victor, I know you are having issues with handling Dads death, but you need to find a healthier way to deal with it." She said as she walked closer to the girl. Her hands were tied together with a piece of rope, and the bag was loose. Victor rolled his eyes at Calla's comment. "In all honesty, that isn't my style. Some guys just dropped her off here. As it seems Gramps was pretty content on having us find out that he wanted us to form some sort of superhuman team. Apparently she is the first to be dropped off. We have to find the rest." he said as he walked over to the couch. He kneeled down and checked the girls pulse. It was running slowly, but the drugs were starting to wear off. Victor looked up to Calla and pointed toward the kitchen. "Go get something from the fridge and the pitcher of ice tea. If she is going to wake up in a strange place she should at least have some kind of comfort. Ill get a fruit tray." Victor said lowly.  
>Calla nodded and made her way to the kitchen. With the funeral, many people brought by casseroles and platters of all sorts. The sight of all the food made Calla sick to her stomach. She took one of the meat trays and returned with it to the living room and returned to the kitchen for the ice tea. Victor took the bag from the girls head and threw it to the ground. Horrible treatment to the girl left her black turtle neck slightly torn up. Her hair was a mess, strands stuck out from what appeared to have been a bun. He left the room to get the fruit tray. Lexi began to finally awaken as Victor placed down the fruit tray on the coffee table that sit in front of the couch. "Welcome to my home, my name is Victor Moriarti, I'm sorry about the way you were brought here. In all honesty I didn't even know you would be here." he said as he held out his hand toward her. Lexi looked up to Victor from behind her mess of hair. Then something in her mind clicked in. Victor Moriarti, that was the name of the boy she had met in Ireland while time skipping. Lexi pushed the hair from her face to look closer at Victor. The boy was no longer a young thing, he had to be in his early twenties at least. His long black hair was now down to his waste from what she could see. He had it tied back in a long braid. If this was the same Victor he had definitely grown up a lot since the last time she had seen him. Lexi put a hand through her hair and smiled. Victor had grown tired of the silence as Lexi stared at him. "You know, something tells me your not mute. What is your name?" he asked.<p>

Lexi snapped out of her gaze. "It's Creed. Alexis Creed, but I go by Lexi most of the time," Lexi said with a smile "I'm sorry about that, you look like someone I used to know." Victor smiled back. "You know, I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps it was a past life maybe?" Victor said coolly, not wanting to startle Lexi by getting into business directly. As Lexi took a drink she looked around at the large living room. It was set up nicely, and everything seemed to be in perfect spots. She looked back at Victor and broke the silence "You know, Mr. Moriarti actually found me about a week ago. He wanted me to attend his school. I was pretty psyched about that, but with him gone now I don't really know where that stands." Victor gave a small chuckle "It wasn't a school he wanted you for." Lexi looked up with a surprised look. "What do you mean by that?" she snapped. Victor sighed and gestured to the mansion. "From what I have been told, he wanted you here. You know, because of the gift you possess. I personally don't know it so I'm at a loss for words right now. Judging by what I have gathered he deems it a good enough ability with more potential if he wanted you to be apart of this team he wanted to make." Victor said as Calla entered the room with 3 full glasses of ice tea and a full pitcher.

Lexi looked in amazement at Calla and waved slowly. "Yea that's right, I'm a wolf cat thing, get over it sooner than later and we'll get along just fine." Calla said in an annoyed tone. "No, no, I didn't mean anything by it. To be honest I think its pretty cool. Part snow leopard right?" she asked as she watched Callas fluffy tail sway back and forth. Calla was surprised by Lexi. She smiled back to her "Yes actually. Snow leopard and timber wolf to be exact. What about you, what is your power?" Calla asked as she handed a glass to Lexi and then to Victor. Lexi laughed "I can guarantee nothing as cool as yours. I can communicate with ghosts. Not overly cool, in fact it's a pain in the ass." Victor laughed as he waved his hand through his hair. "You know Lexi, I think you'll fit in well here. You will be helping me and Calla to find the rest of our little team. For now, get used to the mansion and learn what rooms are where. Tomorrow we start searching for the others." Victor said as he left the living room. Lexi and Calla stayed in the living room talking about how they were going to find the people they were looking for. The answer was more simple then they would have imagined. 


	17. Chapter 17

Parker and Cassandra walked around North Bay for what seemed like hours. Cassandra had been running around asking every person passing by if they knew who her father was. Parker remained quiet as they walked around the city. Finally, they stopped at a Tim Horton's for supper. It was a cold October night as they were finding themselves in the city. Parker looked to a clock in the coffee shop. '_6 pm...time to get out of here...' _Parker thought as she received her French Vanilla. As the two exited the store, Parker had began to acknowledge the sun departing in the skyline. She looked from Cassandra to a cab sitting in the parking lot. "Let's go, its time to find a place to stay for the night." Parker said as she started toward the taxi. Cassandra looked to Parker, almost disappointed and nodded her head. They soon found themselves at the Best Western hotel.

"Two rooms, please." Parker said to the receptionist. Within moments Parker had the two keys and they were on their way up. She tossed a set of keys to Cassandra. "Here, I figure we will both sleep better with our own rooms." Parker said as they finally reached the top floor. Their rooms were located right next to the stairway, each across from each other. Parker turned to Cassandra and held a somber tone "We leave at 10am tomorrow. Be up, or I will be leaving without you." With that, Parker was in her room. A Cheshire grin found itself on Cassandra's face. "We will just have to see who leaves tomorrow, now won't we?" she said as she entered her room. Cassandra tossed her bags down onto the floor and shut the door behind her, making sure it was locked. As she walked around the room, she began removing her clothing. As she stood in the room she wore a pair of black underwear and a black sports bra. Across her chest, was binding. With a swift tug of the cloth, the binding unraveled. She removed the ponytail from her hair, allowing it to flow freely.

As she entered the bathroom of the suit, she held in her hands a large cloth wrapping. She laid it down on the bathroom floor, unraveling the cloth. In it, were two daggers, several chains, and a few glass eggs. She let the water in the tub run for a few minutes as she prepared a black turtleneck and a pair of stone-wash jeans. She turned on the radio just before re-entering the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror after completely undressing. "Hm...I'm going to have to lay off the sweets if I want to pull this off." she said as she noticed the start of a pimple. Slowly she sank herself down into the tub, turning off the water. As she sank down, a familiar song came on the radio. It was Whiskey Lullaby. Cassandra held the song close to her heart. It was a song that she often felt a connection with after loosing her fiance 4 years previously. He had been 26, herself only 21. They had fought about the cost of the wedding the night it happened. After the fight, Cassandra left for the evening to meet up with some friends.

When Cassandra returned, she found his body in their bedroom. In his temple, there was a bullet wound. In his hand a gun. Though it seemed all too much for it to simply have been a suicide. Most of his legs had been striped clean of the muscles and other body tissue. His abdomen had been torn apart in pieces. The only parts of his body untouched where his arms and head. From that day on, she vowed to avenge his death. As quick as shed been in to clean herself, she was out. Cassandra was not one who would take a bath or shower for any more then ten minutes. After exiting she put her hair up into one ponytail. she got into the clothes she had set out and with that, she was back into the washroom, and up into the air vents. Her cloth case was left in the bathroom, with nothing remaining in it.

Parker had showered as soon as she entered her room. She was in the buck as she crawled into the bed. She had been laying there for a few minutes before realizing what was going on outside. _'Hm...can't believe it's my 18th birthday already...guess mom was wron-' _her mindset was interupted as a surge of pain flew through her body. Her body was writhing in pain as she rolled off of the bed and tried her damnedest to get towards an airflow. As she reached a window, she looked up at the big full moon that seemed to be hanging in the sky. Her body suddenly moved into a fetal position as her body began to reform. Her chest was in so much pain it felt as if she was having a heart attack. Her airflow was cut off as her esophagus began to reform. Not a sound came from her as she twitched in pain while her skeletal structure breaking and reforming to its own will. Suddenly, pressure was beginning in her brain. Her skull felt as if it was breaking apart into millions of pieces, as her nose and mouth reformed and elongated into snout. Her skin was burning as it began to feel as if it was tearing apart on her body, as thick black fur began to sprout.

Parker's hands began to twist and reform into large, bony, claws resembling paws of a bear. After the process had ended, a large, long haired, black furred werewolf was left standing in the room. Parker wasn't there anymore, what was there was a wild beast. An uncontrollably violent creature left trapped in the hotel room. It wasn't long before it began tearing the room apart, piece by piece. Soon the room was covered in fluff and feathers, and there were pieces of furniture torn apart laying all over the room. The creature took a large piece of the coffee table and lay down as it began to start chewing on it like a rawhide bone.


End file.
